


Between Skateboards and Guitars

by invisible_slytherin



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: Fluff, Guitarist!Eliott, He also draws, M/M, Skater!Lucas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-01-15 16:38:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18502870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_slytherin/pseuds/invisible_slytherin
Summary: "There was something about this guy skating, alone and so well, that had Eliott frozen on his spot and unable to take his eyes away from him."Or, the one where Eliott is a guitarist and when he goes to the park to play he meets Lucas, a skater that mesmerizes him from the first moment.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You can find it in Russian [here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/8430880), thanks to [dasik-koroleva](https://dasik-koroleva.tumblr.com/)

Eliott was sitting on a bench at the park.

His headphones were on and he had his guitar in his hands. Some music sheets were spread on the grass in front of him and a few pens were on top of them to stop them from flying away.

Eliott's fingers were moving effortlessly on the strings of his guitar.

He had played this exact song more times than he could count, more times than he cared to count. It was usually the one his mind went to every time he picked up the instrument and decided to play something. It was one of his favourites to play. It involved multiple chords that were far from each other and that made him move his fingers faster than he could keep up with sometimes and there were three different strumming patterns throughout the song. After he had struggled with playing it for months, now that he could do it, he never wanted to stop.

The park was a complete change of scenery for him.

His mother had worriedly told him that she thought he was spending too much time in his room. And, well, she had been right. He spent almost all his time there, either studying, playing some video games or drawing, never getting fresh air or some sun on his skin.

His mother claimed that it wasn't healthy and that he should go for a walk, call some friends and go have an ice-cream with them, sit at the park or something.

He had almost said no. He had almost told her that he just wanted to stay home and really didn't feel like getting dressed and doing something outside the house. He was comfortable laying in bed with a book in his hands. However, she had looked so concerned and she kept glancing at his room through the open door every time she passed by, so he decided that maybe going outside wouldn't be such a hardship, maybe it would be worth it.

Therefore, he had grabbed his guitar and told his mother that he would be going to the park. Her relieved smile when she kissed his cheek and told him when dinner would be ready was enough to convince him that it had been a good decision.

Now, sitting at the park with the sun illuminating him and his surroundings, he could feel himself relax and the tension ease away from his muscles.

It had been the best decision he had made and he wondered why he hadn't listened to his mother before. She was right most of the time, so he really had no excuse except his laziness.

He looked at the music sheet in front of him and frowned, forgetting where he was for a second and missing his cue to change chords.

He groaned in frustration, it's what he gets for being distracted but he still hated it. Messing up a song always made him angry with himself, especially if it was one of the easiest parts. What was the difficulty of switching from a G to a C? None. But somehow he still managed to have trouble doing it.

He rolled his eyes at himself and grabbed his phone to stop the song. No point in having it playing, if he had already messed up, he would have to start from the beginning now.

Without the song playing, he could hear the noise of the park around him.

There weren't many people around, just two old ladies sitting on a bench nearby, some kids on the playground with their parents watching over them and some skaters over at the skate park. The ladies were talking quietly so Eliott couldn't hear anything from them, but the kids squealing and yelling playfully at each other plus the skaters laughing while pointing at where one of them had probably fallen made up for it.

The noise didn't annoy him, though; it was actually a good contrast to his silent bedroom.

For a moment, he considered the possibility of coming to the park more often. And, if he was honest, he would probably end up doing just that.

It felt nice to watch the kids being free and happy and it was amusing to see the skaters - who had probably all fallen at some point - mock the one who had fallen right now. It was relaxing and there was no pressure on his shoulders. With his guitar in his hands, headphones on and eyes on the world, he was the calmer he had been in weeks. No worries plaguing his mind or stress tensing his muscles.

He wondered if he could convince Idriss or Sofiane to come with him someday. They could just sit and do nothing or talk. Maybe they could bring a ball and play some football or basketball. That would be nice, Eliott thought to himself, even though he didn't know how to play basketball properly. He would definitely talk to them about coming with him the next time he decided to do it.

Taking his eyes away from the laughing skaters and running children, Eliott turned his attention to his phone and restarted the song he had been playing before, determined to get the chords and strumming patterns right this time around.

***

It was getting late.

Eliott had been in the park for almost two hours now, just playing the guitar and looking around at nothing in particular. Sometimes he got distracted with the tricks the skaters did or with the kids playing tag and running by him, and, although that made him mess up some of the songs, his fingers hadn't left the strings for the time he had sat there. His left hand's fingertips hurt from where they had pressed the strings, not being used to doing so for such a lengthy amount of time, and his back ached from being in the same not-so-comfortable position for so long. But he had had such a great time that none of that bothered him.

The sun was almost setting now and, apart from himself, the only people in the park were two kids and their parents, the skaters had already left some time ago as had done the old ladies, so he deemed it time to leave the park and finally go home. His mother was almost done with dinner by this time, probably.

Eliott put his guitar back on its case and got up from where he was sitting, stretching a little without even caring about being in public. He gathered the papers he had on the grass before grabbing everything that was his and preparing to leave the park.

On his way out, he almost collided with a guy that skated past him, the guy threw a quick 'sorry' over his shoulder but seemed otherwise unconcerned about almost having bumped against someone while skating.

Eliott raised an eyebrow and looked back at the boy. He wasn't mad about it, he had bumped against enough people while walking to know that it just happens sometimes. However, a little spark of curiosity had made its way inside of him. He had thought that skaters liked to hang out in groups and show off in front of each other, so, seeing this guy alone in the park when it was getting late was a little odd for him. But, maybe Eliott was just stereotyping a little too much, after all, not everyone likes to be in big groups of people.

The skater was wearing black jeans and a grey hoodie, he had a backpack on his back and earphones in his ears. Eliott hadn't been able to see his face, but he could tell that he was shorter than himself and that his hair was standing in way too many different directions. Eliott wasn't sure if it was the way he looked or the fact that he was alone that had drawn him to the boy, but he knew that his attention was on him and Eliott couldn't even comprehend how that had happened with just a near bump and a quick glance.

He might not even see him again, if he's completely honest with himself, so he should just shake himself out of it.

Eliott saw the guy go to the skatepark and he fleetingly wished that he could see the tricks he would be doing with his skate.

However, from the place where he was standing Eliott couldn't see much of the place where the other boy had gone. He pondered walking closer, but a little sane piece of his mind told him that that would be overly creepy and that he shouldn't just go and watch some guy skate because he had sparked his interest.

Therefore, Eliott turned back around and continued his way home, forgetting about the skater as soon as he got there and smelled his mother's cooking.

***

The next time Eliott saw the skater was a week after the first time, but this time it was in the early morning instead of in the late afternoon.

He had taken a nap the day before after school and had gone to bed early, because of that, he woke up extremely early in the morning. It was barely 5am when he opened his eyes and groaned when he saw the numbers on his alarm. He had tried sleeping again but it had been no use.

After rolling around in bed for some minutes without any result, he got up and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. After that, since it was still too early to go to school, he decided that maybe using the time to do some exercise wouldn't be a bad idea. It had been a while since he had last gone for a run, after all.

He put on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, throwing a hoodie over it since he wasn't sure whether or not the early morning breeze would be cold, and left a note for his parents so they knew where he was if they woke up before he was back.

He started running as soon as he left the house, earphones in his ear and some fast-paced playlist playing so he would get in the mood.

First, he would run through the town and then he would eventually go into the park.

He hadn't crossed anyone on his way and only a car had sped past him. It felt good to be alone in the city, breathing in the fresh air without anyone making any noise. It was quiet and relaxing and he wondered why he didn't wake up this early more often.

It was when he got to the park that he saw the skater.

The boy was sitting on the floor with his skateboard next to him and his phone in his hands. He wasn't skating at the moment, but his hair was dishevelled so maybe that meant he had already skated before.

When the boy got up Eliott stopped running a couple of meters away from where he was, curious to see him doing what he was there to do. Eliott watched as he grabbed his skate and went to the highest part of the skate park, getting on top of it and rolling down the ramp. He started slow, just going from one side to the other, but he soon started being more adventurous, doing some jumps and tricks Eliott couldn't even try to name.

To say that Eliott was entranced was an understatement. He was loving watching the boy perform, he was good at what he did with probably a lot of practice behind every move and Eliott was mesmerised by it.

He had always liked to watch skaters do their thing in the park, it was awesome what they managed to do with a skateboard on their feet. There had been a time when Eliott was about twelve when he had wanted to be a skater too, but he had tried and fallen way too many times to know that skating just wasn't for him.

There was something about this guy skating, alone and so well, that had Eliott frozen on his spot and unable to take his eyes away from him. He made every trick and every spin look almost effortless, almost delicate in a way and that had Eliott more captivated than any other skater or group of skaters had been able to do before.

When the guy stopped near his backpack to grab a bottle of water and drink some of it, Eliott was still standing there, staring at him with an impressed, mesmerized expression on his face.

The guy looked up then and their eyes met unexpectedly.

Eliott felt his heart skip a little, maybe because he had been caught staring creepily, maybe because a gorgeous guy was looking at him or maybe because it was this gorgeous guy in particular. Eliott wasn't sure, but he wasn't able to look away for a good amount of seconds, almost hypnotized and completely held captive by the skater's intense gaze.

Eliott coughed a little to try and shake himself out of the trance. He needed to go home and shower before school and, if he didn't hurry up, he would end up being late. He glanced quickly at the boy and offered a tiny smile in hopes of not seeming so creepy if he didn't just run off without acknowledging him. Eliott didn't know if it worked or not since the boy just stared at him with a calculating look, but he just turned away and started walking home.

He looked over his shoulder one last time at the boy he had left behind. He still had his water bottle in his hand, his skateboard on the floor next to him and his eyes on Eliott.

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

The next few weeks were busy. School had kept Eliott so occupied that he had barely had any time to look away from his books, much less to do something other than think about school.

 

During that time, he had just wanted to grab a book that wasn't required for school and have fun reading it. He had wanted to go out with the boys, play something with them or go to a party. Most of all, he had wanted to have time to grab his guitar and play. It got to the point where it actually felt as if his fingers were aching to slide up and down the strings. He missed the feeling of the strings and the sound of the chords.

 

But he knew that school was first and that he had no choice but to study as much as he could or else he would be screwed. So, instead of sliding over the strings of the guitar, his fingers could only point at lines in textbooks and turn their pages and the only music he made was the sound of his pencil scraping against the paper.

 

When the tests had finally ended for the time being and Eliott and Alex had finally presented the group project they had been working on for weeks, Eliott felt like he could finally breathe properly. The moment he had handed his French test, the last one, he had felt his muscles relax and, with a sigh of relief, he felt the pressure from the past weeks ease away. It felt like being free again and Eliott planned on enjoying it until the tests, projects and stress started again.

 

The first thing Eliott did when he got home that day was close the curtains and lay in bed. He just wanted to lay there, close his eyes and not worry about anything at all. He had barely slept the night before due to the anxiety his French test had caused and he felt way too exhausted to do anything other than sleep for some time.

 

He managed to sleep until his mother called him for dinner which he was grateful for, after all, he had really needed those hours to catch up on the sleep he had lost.

 

He got up from the bed and left the room to go to the kitchen, the smell of food making his stomach groan since he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. 

 

In retrospection, Eliott thought that maybe he should have eaten something before taking a nap, but he had been so tired that the thought hadn't even crossed his mind when he got home.

 

Dinner was calm and relaxed which was a great contrast from months ago when things were rockier between his parents. Eliott was grateful for that. His mother and father just asked him about his days, commented about some news they had seen and his mother shared some funny stories about her students. It felt nice to just sit and talk and laugh with his family after the busy weeks Eliott had had. It was exactly what he needed. To relax and enjoy time with his family, without any worries.

 

After dinner, he said goodnight to his mother and, when his stepfather left the house to go to the hospital since he had a night shift, Eliott went upstairs to grab his guitar and left the house with him. It was about time he did what he had been craving for days now.

 

"Going to the park?" His father asked while closing the front door behind them.

 

"Yeah, I haven't played in a long time and it's too late to do it at home. I don't want to wake up mom."

 

"Your mom needs her sleep," his father nodded in agreement. "Kids can be a handful to deal with and teach."

 

"I know, my teachers spend almost half of class complaining about us," Eliott joked.

 

His father laughed and walked to his car, opening the door and getting inside.

 

"Want a ride?" He opened the window in order to ask Eliott.

 

"No, don't worry," Eliott shook his head. "I'll walk."

 

"Have fun, and don't get home too late, you have classes tomorrow," his father advised.

 

"I won't," he assured.

 

They said goodbye and his father left for the hospital while Eliott walked to the park, guitar on his back.

 

The night was warm and it felt good to just walk and feel the breeze moving his hair and touching his cheeks. Eliott took a deep breath and sighed, feeling his shoulders relax and all the leftover tension leaving him. He had never really appreciated the serenity that took over the town on the evening of a weekday, but he reckoned he should do it more often from now on.

 

In the park, Eliott walked for a little in order to get away from the road and further into the area surrounded by green trees and bushes. He didn't want to be close to the road since he could get distracted with the passing cars and could disturb someone that walked by, the middle of the park also felt more peaceful.

 

He was distracted looking at the sky that was darkening slowly and at the birds that were flying to the trees when the sound of wheels on the concrete attracted his attention and alerted him to the fact that he was passing by the skatepark.

 

He walked closer to the skatepark still as curious as ever when it came to skating and eager to see what whoever was there was doing.

 

He was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the skater he had seen before, the one that had mesmerized him without even trying. 

 

As it was, it seemed that the skater still had the same power over Eliott considering he couldn't help but stop in his tracks and just stand there looking.

 

It was fascinating to watch. The boy moved with confidence in his moves and he landed every trick perfectly, as far as Eliott could tell. Eliott was sure it wasn't easy to do what the boy was doing. To manage to do all of those jumps and spins, without falling or losing the skateboard, seemed like an impossible feat, but this skater was able to do it so elegantly that Eliott felt more captivated by him than he had felt by anything or anyone in a long time.

 

He stood there, guitar on his back, longer than he could count and would like to admit. It was a little indiscreet and impolite how he had just stood there looking and gaping at the boy showing off on the skate. But Eliott couldn't help it, it truly was amazing how the skater moved as if he and the skateboard were one. It deserved to be admired - or that was what Eliott tried to convince himself of in order to tame his embarrassment.

 

"Are you enjoying the show?" The boy's voice startled him.

 

He had stopped skating and was now walking up to where Eliott was with his skateboard under his arm. Eliott hadn't even noticed that the skater had seen him and he vaguely wondered what was the probability of the boy only noticing him towards the end and not knowing the frankly embarrassing amount of time he had stood there.

 

Eliott opened and closed his mouth more times than he would have liked. He wasn't usually this tongue-tied, but he had just been caught staring creepily at some stranger while he skated and he didn't know exactly how to answer to said stranger. 

 

What was he supposed to say? 'Hey, dude, you're brilliant, I loved that thing you did with your skateboard!'? No, he couldn't say that. He was supposed to be good with words, not blurt something stupid like that.

 

"I… You're really good with the skateboard," or maybe that was exactly what he would be doing.

 

The skater didn't seem to mind, though. He smiled and thanked him quickly before walking closer to where Eliott stood.

 

"Can you skate?" He asked.

 

"Not really," Eliott shrugged. "I tried before and just ended up embarrassing myself. The floor couldn't get enough of me every time I tried to do it," he joked.

 

"More of a guitar kind of guy," the guy grinned.

 

"How do you know I play the guitar?" Eliott asked confused.

 

"Dude, I don't know if you play for sure. But I would say you do since you have a guitar on your back," the guy chuckled and pointed at the instrument.

 

"Right," Eliott blushed, facepalming internally for being so stupid. How had he gotten so distracted that he didn't even remember why he had come to the park in the first place?

 

"Were you planning on just standing there looking at me the whole night?" The boy looked at him smugly.

 

"Well, not really," Eliott laughed, relieved that the skater didn't seem to mind having had an audience. "You just impressed me and I lost track of time."

 

The skater raised an eyebrow, a surprised but slightly impressed expression appearing on his face. Eliott was proud to see it, it seemed that he had finally gotten over whatever had tied his tongue and now he was back to himself. He smiled a little at the skater, amused at the weird interaction.

 

"Well, stalker boy, I'm Lucas," he introduced himself. "Do you have a name or do I have to keep calling you stalker boy?"

 

"I'm Eliott."

 

Lucas nodded and put his skateboard on the ground so he could sit on it.

 

"Did you come here to play?" he pointed at Eliott's back as if he might have forgotten the instrument once again.

 

"Yeah, I haven't played in a while," Eliott smiled, asking himself if he should sit down next to Lucas or keep standing. They were still strangers, though, so maybe standing was the better option this time.

 

"I always wanted to play something," Lucas told him. "But I'm better with my feet on a skateboard than with my hands on a guitar."

 

"Have you tried, though?"

 

Maybe Lucas was just afraid of not being able to do it and had never tried to know if he was capable or not. Eliott was like that when it came to a lot of things too.

 

"Well, no," Lucas admitted. "I mean, I don't have a guitar to try and I don't know anyone who plays," he looked a little sad at that as if he thought that everyone should have a friend who plays guitar. "But maybe one day I'll try, who knows," he smiled and shrugged.

 

Eliott smiled back and just barely stopped himself from suggesting that Lucas could use his guitar. He didn't know Lucas and Lucas didn't know him, he couldn't go around offering guitar lessons to strangers just because they're mesmerizing when they skate. 

 

He looked down at his phone to see what time it was, suddenly remembering that he hadn't gone to the park to watch and talk to Lucas and that he had to be home at a reasonable time to finally get a good night of sleep.

 

It was still early, though, so he still had time to play a couple of songs before going home. He decided that it was about time he left Lucas alone and let him have fun with his skateboard while he did what he had come there to do. Play the guitar.

 

He tightened his grip on the strap of the guitar case he had over his shoulder and smiled down at Lucas. He was a little sad to be leaving already since talking to Lucas had been fun, but hopefully, they would see each other again soon.

 

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Lucas. I'm going to play now, though."

 

"Nice meeting you too, stalker boy," Lucas winked and waved before getting up and skating away, back to the skate park.

 

Eliott grinned and sat on a bench nearby, taking the guitar off of its case and playing after putting his earphones in. It felt good to have his hands back on the guitar, his fingers sliding and strumming the strings. He had missed the feeling and the sound so much that he couldn't help but close his eyes and savour all of it.

 

Lost in his own little world of chord progressions and strumming patterns, Eliott didn't notice the eyes that were on him. He didn't notice the way Lucas stopped skating to be able to listen to him and he didn't notice the surprised, mesmerized expression on the other boy's face at the sound of the music. 

 

He only had eyes and ears for his guitar while Lucas only had eyes and ears for Eliott.


	3. Chapter 3

Contrary to what he thought would happen, Eliott hadn't lost interest in going to the park after some days of doing so.

 

Usually, he had trouble establishing a routine for himself since he wanted to do something one day and do something completely different in the next. It was the norm for him, so he had doubted himself when it came to leaving the house with his guitar every day.

 

He had been wrong.

 

Granted, he hadn't gone to the park every single day, either because he couldn't or simply didn't feel like it, but he had gone more often than not, and that was a win for him.

 

He seemed to walk around feeling lighter. The mix between not being as worried about school and not spending all his time closed between the four walls of his room really did wonders to him. And he wasn't the only one to notice that.

 

His mother had expressed her relief before, seeing him looking healthier, less pale and with colour on his cheeks from being in the sun for some hours had made her incredibly happy. Seeing that, Eliott knew he would keep going to the park even if he tired of it.

 

His father had also noticed. Subtly, he had asked Eliott if he needed rides to the park, if he needed something for his guitar or a new pair of sunglasses. It had been enough for Eliott to see that, although his father hadn't been as vocal about his relief as his mother had been, he felt the same way she did about it.

 

No matter how proud it made him and his parents, though, Eliott couldn't take full credit for his sudden desire to leave the house almost every day.

 

Yes, most of the time he went because he wanted to. He went because the weather was nice and the park gave him the perfect place to play the guitar, he liked the combination of the music and the natural environment. However, he also went there with the small hope of seeing Lucas again.

 

The skater had intrigued him without even trying. And now, even though Eliott had tried, his mind didn't seem to want to forget Lucas. He found himself thinking about him more often that he would have liked to, considering they had only had one conversation and could barely classify themselves as acquaintances.

 

He hadn't seen Lucas at the park since that one conversation they had had, though.

 

That day, when Eliott had packed his things and left to go home, guitar on his back and earphones in his ears, Lucas had still been at the skatepark.

 

He had been skating with his back to Eliott and, not wanting to interrupt him, Eliott hadn't said anything and just left. Maybe if Lucas had been turned to him or hadn't been skating, Eliott would have said goodbye, acknowledged him, but, as it is, it had felt like the best thing to just leave Lucas alone with his skateboard.

 

Not seeing Lucas at the park any of the times he went there, made him wonder what was the reason he had stopped going. But, to be honest with himself, Eliott didn't even know if going there had been a common thing for Lucas before those two times Eliott saw him. Therefore, not seeing him there might be completely normal and Eliott might just be overthinking everything Lucas related a little too much.

 

However, not seeing Lucas at the park didn't mean that Eliott hadn't seen him at all in the space of time he had known of his existence.

 

All of a sudden, it was as if Eliott was hyper-aware of Lucas and saw him everywhere he went. He saw him inside the school, in the corridors, in the cafeteria and in the library. He saw him in town when he was walking home. He even saw him in the supermarket once.

 

Eliott was pretty sure that Lucas wasn’t new in the city. He had never seen him before merely because he had been just another face in the crowd, a stranger like every other stranger. But, now that they had talked and Eliott had seen him skate, he had started seeing him, noticing him, every single time they passed each other by.

 

It was annoying because, in a way, Lucas didn't feel like the regular stranger turned recent acquaintance. He felt like something more than that.

 

Eliott wasn't sure whether or not Lucas noticed him when they passed each other by like Eliott noticed him. In the privacy of his mind, he liked to think so. However, he had never caught Lucas looking at him and they had never stopped to talk to each other, so he probably didn't.

 

Sometimes when he saw him, Eliott wanted to stop and talk to him. He wanted to go over and say hi, talk about something with him, get to know him because Lucas was interesting and Eliott was curious about him. But there seemed to be a line between them he didn't know how to cross. A line between talking to Lucas at the park and approaching him somewhere else, somewhere less peaceful and familiar.

 

So, he kept going to the park.

 

Maybe Eliott was taking it a bit too far by going to the park so many times and always hoping to see Lucas, but he reasoned that he was also going there for himself and that Lucas being there and getting to talk to him would merely be a bonus.

 

Therefore, he kept on hoping that he would see Lucas soon and would get the opportunity to talk to him, but he didn't stop his life for it or go out of his way to make it happen somewhere else.

 

Until then, he would just keep going to the park and leave with the pleasant ache in his fingers from finally playing the guitar for so many hours after spending so many weeks without touching it.

 

***

 

Right now, Eliott was sitting in the cafeteria with Alex whom he shared a few classes with. Alex was talking about something, but Eliott wasn't really listening to him. He felt a little bit bad about not hearing what his friend had to say, however, Eliott couldn't help but be a bit lost in his own head and in what he was drawing.

 

He had started drawing almost as soon as he had sat on the table and his food was still almost untouched. He was almost done with the drawing by now, though, which was good because he was pretty sure lunchtime was about to end at any minute.

 

He had been drawing himself. The raccoon was surrounded by trees and bushes and flowers and he had a guitar sitting on the grass next to him. A clear representation of what his afternoons were like for the past few weeks.

 

Eliott had never drawn himself in the park before and it was about time he did so since it had become such an important part of life. So, although he did feel bad about not listening to Alex, he didn't feel bad about not eating his food and just drawing without thinking of anything else.

 

“Eliott!” Alex snapped his fingers in front of his face to have his attention again.

 

“What?” Eliott blinked, eyes finally focusing on his friend.

 

“What planet were you in?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

 

"Sorry, just got distracted with the drawing."

 

Alex didn't seem offended, probably because he was used to Eliott's distractions. It wasn't the first time that Eliott's attention snapped to something else while he was with Alex, nor the first time he became immersed in his drawing. Alex had gotten used to it by now and ruled it as an Eliott thing and didn't think much of it. Eliott was glad that Alex understood that sometimes he needed to be in his own little world.

 

Alex just gave him an amused smile at his explanation before turning to look at his phone when it vibrated on the table.

 

Eliott used that moment to look around the cafeteria. It was fuller than it had been when they had gotten there and now students occupied almost all the tables. Everywhere Eliott looked he saw students. It was a little bit overwhelming to see so many different people and hear so many different noises and voices at the same time.

 

It kind of made him want to draw the situation he was in right now since he was always the person to represent his mood into the paper. But it would be impossible to give everyone the right spirit animal. And, even if he just drew them as shapeless forms, it would be hard to draw it quickly enough so that the bell to get to class wouldn't ring before he was done with it. Thus, he gave up on that idea fairly quickly and just looked around the room.

 

Subconsciously, his eyes fell upon Lucas, already drawn enough to him for him to stand out in the crowd.

 

Lucas was sitting with a few people around him a few tables away from where Eliott and Alex were sitting. He looked like he was having fun, throwing his napkin at one of his friends and laughing with them.

 

A part of Eliott longed to go talk to him, find something that could start a conversation between them and talk to Lucas about it. The possibility of becoming friends with Lucas appealing greatly to him, but he just didn't know what he could talk to him about.

 

And, for all he knew, Lucas might not even want to talk to him; or remember him, for that matter.

 

"Eliott," Alex called again with an amused chuckle. "You spaced out again."

 

"Sorry," Eliott repeated but he too was smiling.

 

“What were you thinking about?” Alex asked. "Is everything alright?"

 

“Yes, don't worry," Eliott shook his head. "I wasn't thinking about anything important,” he shrugged.

 

“Who were you looking at?” Alex followed the line Eliott's eyes had made when he had spaced out and looked confused when his eyes ended up on the group of people Eliott had been staring at. "Didn't know you knew them too."

 

“I really don't,” Eliott tried to act nonchalant, somehow feeling like him 'knowing' Lucas was something he wanted to keep to himself for now. “I was just thinking and didn’t notice what I was looking at.”

 

“If you say so,” Alex shrugged, eyes going back to his food.

 

In the back of his mind, Eliott registered that from the way Alex talked it seemed as though he knew Lucas and his friends and that that could be useful if he wanted to know more things about Lucas. Ultimately though, he decided that it was better not to ask anything in order not to raise questions he wouldn't be able to answer and not to seem like he was overly interested in someone he had talked to once.

 

He also felt like getting to know Lucas on his own seemed like a far more appealing idea than just asking someone about him.

 

Throughout the rest of lunch, Eliott tried to refrain himself from looking at Lucas and the general direction of where he was sitting. He knew that Alex would be suspicious if he stared at the other table again and he also didn't want to look too creepy.

 

So, Eliott ate his food and finished his drawing quickly before turning to listen to what Alex had to say about the football game he had had during the weekend and the date he would have with Emma in a few days.

 

***

 

Eliott's phone had been vibrating in his pocket throughout his last class. He had forgotten to put it on silence after lunch and because of that, he had had to deal with the annoying vibrations.

 

When the bell finally rang and he was able to leave class, he wasn't surprised to see that it had been Idriss that had been calling him during that time. Only Idriss could forget that Eliott had classes until now and would call him continuously after Eliott hadn't answered the first time.

 

“We should hang out,” Idriss said as soon as Eliott called him back.

 

"Sure," Eliott said while opening his locker to get the books he would be needing today out. "But can you not call me while I'm in class next time?"

 

"I'll try," Idriss laughed. "Where do you want to go? Sofiane is free too and we haven't seen you in ages."

 

“We could go to the park,” Eliott suggested.

 

He had already been planning on going there today anyway and having Idriss and Sofiane there with him would be great since he had missed them. It would be perfect because they would be able to catch up and maybe Eliott would be able to prove to them that the park was a great place to be at.

 

“What is it with you and going to the park? Lately, you have been going there all the time,” Idriss asked.

 

Every time he went to the park, Eliott had been posting pictures of his surroundings and his guitar on Instagram. He liked the colours and thought that they looked good on his feed and story, so he had published them. Unknowingly though, he had ended up raising questions in Idriss' head, since he knew Eliott was more the type of person that stays home instead of going somewhere outside.

 

“I just like going there,” he shrugged even though Idriss couldn't see and walked off the school and to the bus stop.

 

Idriss hummed and told Eliott he and Sofiane would meet him at the park in 45 minutes before hanging up. He didn't seem to be too convinced about Eliott 'just' liking to go to the park, but he hadn't been suspicious enough to grill Eliott with questions and he counted that as a win.

 

If he had, Eliott might have had to tell him that sometimes he went to the park to check if a certain skater was there, but, as it is, he could keep that little secret to himself for a little while longer.

 

***

 

He went home before going to the park, to put his backpack down and grab his guitar. He didn't know if he would want to play today since his friends would be there and he might want to just talk to them, but he didn't mind taking it even if he ended up not playing. After all, it was kind of a tradition by now to go to the park and play.

 

He knew Idriss and Sofiane wouldn’t mind if he brought the guitar with him either, even though he hadn’t told them he would be doing so. They would probably like it. They had told him before, on multiple occasions, that they enjoyed listening to him play and that Eliott should give them ‘free concerts’ more often.

 

They did like to request songs but were never offended if Eliott didn’t know how to play them or if Eliott judged them silently with his stare for liking whatever song they suggested.

 

Once he had everything he needed, Eliott grabbed his jacket from where he had dropped it on the bed and walked out of his room.

 

His mother was sitting on the couch watching something on the television when he came back to head out. She looked up at him and smiled when she saw he had his shoes on and the guitar on his back.

 

“I like to see you leave the house this often,” she told him.

 

He knew that. She always grinned at him whenever he said he was going for a walk or to the park and she always made a point of asking what new songs he learned, whether or not he had gathered a crowd or if something funny had happened. It felt good to know that the simple act of leaving the house and getting some fresh air instead of simply staying in his room every free hour of his day had erased the worry lines that appeared on his mother’s face every time she looked at him. He should have done it before, he found himself thinking sometimes, should have left the house more often if only to please her.

 

“I was missing out,” he admitted.

 

He walked into the living room to kiss her cheek.

 

“I’ll be with Idriss and Sofiane,” he told her. “I don’t know if we’ll get dinner or not.”

 

She nodded.

 

“Call me when you know, alright?”

 

“Will do.” He straightened the strap of the guitar case over his shoulder. “Bye, mom!”

 

“Have fun.”

 

***

 

When Eliott got to the park, Idriss and Sofiane were already there. They were sitting on a bench near the skatepark and Eliott didn't know if he should be grateful they had chosen that place or annoyed because it would be harder to convince himself not to look for Lucas this way.

 

"Hey," he greeted them before dropping down next to Sofiane and putting his guitar on the grass next to his feet.

 

"Are you going to play for us?" Idriss asked when he saw the guitar.

 

"If I feel like it," Eliott grinned.

 

Sofiane and Idriss were quick to grill him with questions about school. It had been like that since the beginning of the year and Eliott was more than used to it by now. Since he had had to repeat his last year while the two of them had already left school, they had wanted to know what kind of things they were missing out by not being in there anymore. Eliott almost never had something overly exciting to tell them. He was new in the school, knew barely anyone and no one seemed to have any big secrets or dramas going on that interested him even remotely. However, Idriss and Sofiane still seemed to enjoy every little story he told.

 

When Idriss and Sofiane got distracted looking at something on Idriss' phone, Eliott looked around the park.

 

The day was sunny and warm, a slight breeze ruffling the tree leaves and his hair, and Eliott felt very fortunate that these past weeks had had such great weather.

 

The park was a little more crowded than usual, perhaps because it was Friday afternoon. A group of kids was running around while some others were over at the swings and slides. Some people were walking, alone or with friends, while others passed by them running. A couple was sitting on a bench not far from them and a girl was sitting surrounded by books near the river. There were also a few skaters there and, as always, the skatepark was exactly what caught Eliott's attention the most.

 

Some of the skaters were just sitting down on the concrete with their phones in their hands or watching the ones who were actually skating. Those were showing off the tricks they knew how to do, gliding, sliding and spinning with their skateboards. It was hypnotizing to watch them do all that so perfectly. Eliott still wished that he had the talent necessary to skate.

 

"Still daydreaming about skating?" Idriss teased him when he noticed he had gotten distracted watching the skaters.

 

"Maybe," Eliott grinned before bending down to pick up his guitar. "I'll just keep to what I can actually do, though."

 

Eliott took his guitar out of its case and sat on the grass so he wouldn't hit one of his friends with its neck while he was playing. It had happened before and none of them wanted a repeat.

 

"Eliott," Sofiane called, finally looking up from where he had been texting someone. "You should come with us to play basketball this Sunday."

 

"You know I'm not that great at basketball," Eliott answered while tuning his guitar.

 

"Don't worry about that," Idriss shrugged. "We'll just make sure you're on the other team."

 

Eliott grabbed the pen he had brought to add some notes to his music sheets and threw it at him.

 

"How funny," he deadpanned.

 

Sofiane laughed at them before shaking his head and making them focus again.

 

"It's just a friendly game. We need more people on our team."

 

"Can't you ask Imane? She's better at playing than I am."

 

"Imane is part of the other team," Idriss scoffed.

 

"Well then," Eliott laughed at how offended Idriss looked over his sister's 'betrayal'. "If you don't mind losing, count me in."

 

"Great.” Sofiane smiled. "I'll text you the hour when we come to an agreement."

 

Eliot nodded and turned back to his guitar to finish tuning it quickly.

 

"Any requests?" He asked the two of them.

 

"Well, a few," Idriss smirked and Eliott knew nothing good would come out of it. "I found this song just the other day and-"

 

Eliott raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Idriss' his and grin and made sure to interrupt him before he actually suggested anything.

 

"Yeah, no thanks."

 

Sofiane threw his head back with laughter and patted Idriss on the back. They both knew that Eliott already knew Idriss too well for him to be able to suggest something inappropriate before Eliott cut him off.

 

Idriss just shrugged before joining Sofiane's laughter and Eliott couldn't help but chuckle with them. He really had missed hanging out with them and would try to do it more often now.

 

With his earphones in and his fingers on the strings, his friends' laughter and obnoxious claps and comments the only thing interrupting his music, Eliott thought that this really was the best possible way to spend his afternoon.

 

Being at the park did have its perks and Eliott was starting to truly see that and he knew that sooner or later he would find even more reasons to come here.


	4. Chapter 4

Saturdays were usually a calm and quiet day for Eliott. There was never much to do so, most of the times, it was a day without worries.

 

If he had school work that needed to be done in the weekend, he usually took Saturday for that, not really wanting any work to pile up. And, if there was nothing he absolutely had to do, he used Saturdays to catch up on any sleep he had lost during the week or to hang out with his friends. Saturdays were, all in all, a great day for Eliott.

 

Today, he hadn't had anything that needed to be done for school. There were no tests or projects coming up any time soon and, therefore, he hadn't needed to do anything.

 

He had slept almost the whole morning away, though. The week had tired him and the good night of sleep had made almost all the exhaustion fade away so, Eliott knew it had been the best way to spend his morning.

 

However, after lunch, he still had nothing to do, or rather, nothing he wanted to do. His mom had left to go shopping with some friends and his dad was working and Eliott didn't feel like being alone in the house. Thus, and because Eliott also didn't want to go outside, he texted his friends to see if any of them could come over. He knew that at least one of them would probably be able to.

 

He had been right. Even though Alex hadn't been able to since he was on his date with Emma and Idriss was apparently out with his sister, Sofiane had sent him a text saying that he would be there soon.

 

To be truthful, Eliott didn't mind that Sofiane was the only one who could come over. In a way, he was actually glad the situation had turned out that way.

 

Eliott and Sofiane had always been close. Since they had met that they had had the habit of turning to each other when it came to any serious subject or something related to the heart. Now, after years of doing so, they understood each other so well when it came to emotions, feelings and mood, that it was easy for them to open up to each other. It wasn't that they couldn't talk to their other friends, but they knew each other so well, that they felt the most comfortable talking to each other.

 

Thing is, Eliott and Sofiane hadn't been able to hang out just the two of them in a long while. Between school and work, family and other friends, there had always been something stopping it from happening. Eliott was sure that after so many weeks since the last time they had had a heart to heart, both of them had a lot of things to tell the other.

 

They don't live too far from each other, therefore, it's not long before Sofiane is knocking at Eliott's door. While Eliott went to the kitchen to get something for them to eat, Sofiane went to Eliott's room and made himself at home. They had been at each other's places so many times that they felt as comfortable as at home there. When Eliott entered his room, Sofiane had already taken off his shoes and jacket and was sitting on his bed with his phone in his hands.

 

After Eliott put what he had brought for them to eat on his bedside table, the two of them laid down next to each other on the bed staring at the ceiling. It was the exact same position they had adopted since they were little for their serious talks. It felt intimate in the way that they could lay their secrets down to each other and be assured that they wouldn't leave the room. To this day, they hadn't changed their way of laying in bed and Eliott hoped that for years to come the little tradition would remain the same, for it would mean they kept on talking to each other.

 

"It's been a while," Sofiane finally broke the light silence that had taken over Eliott's room.

 

"Too long," Eliott agreed.

 

Eliott turned his head a little to look at Sofiane. He was still looking at the ceiling, but he looked thoughtful and Eliott saw him gulp and rub his ear like he usually did when he was trying to come up with words to say something. Eliott gave him the time he needed to find the right way to say whatever it was that he wanted to tell him without any pressure except his curious gaze.

 

"I like someone."

 

Eliott sat up in bed and fully looked at Sofiane with a smile. It wasn't a common occurrence for Sofiane to fall for someone. Although Sofiane had liked a few people before, between the two of them, Eliott was usually the one who fell faster and more easily. None of the people Sofiane had liked before had been deserving of the openly affectionate look his friend had on his face right now, though. This was new and Eliott couldn't help the happiness that spread through him when faced with his friend's glee.

 

"Who is it?" Eliott asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

 

Sofiane looked amused at Eliott's eagerness to know more and smiled up at him.

 

"Imane."

 

"Idriss' sister?" Eliott raised an eyebrow.

 

"Yes."

 

Eliott hadn't talked to Imane in a long time. He had seen her in passing when he went to visit Idriss and saw her once or twice in school, but hadn't really had the opportunity to talk to her in any of those times.

 

He tried imagining Imane and Sofiane together and, surprisingly, it was easy. He didn't know Imane as well as he knew Sofiane, but, from what he did know about the two of them, they seemed kind of perfect for each other in a way that had never occurred to Eliott. He knew that Imane was a great person and Sofiane was probably the best person he had ever met, so if they ever started dating, Eliott would be rooting for them.

 

"She's great," Eliott nodded. "Does she know you like her?"

 

"Not yet."

 

"So, you are thinking about telling her," Eliott smirked.

 

"I wouldn't be opposed to telling her… Eventually," he admitted. "If I find that I should and that she won't, you know, reject me and never talk to me again."

 

Eliott nodded in understanding and laid down on the bed again.

 

"She's going to be at the game tomorrow, right?"

 

"Yeah."

 

"I'll tell you if you should go forward with telling her or not after I see you with each other."

 

Sofiane snorted inelegantly before laughing, clearly amused with Eliott's antics and his apparent power to know if it was a good idea or not to tell someone about one's feelings.

 

"Thanks, Eliott, I'll impatiently wait for your advice."

 

Eliott rolled his eyes and grabbed the pillow he had below his head to hit Sofiane for his mockery efforts.

 

"What about you?" Sofiane turned his head to look at him. "How's your life?"

 

Eliott chuckled.

 

"Nothing interesting right now, to be honest."

 

He wasn't lying. There was nothing too exciting or worth noticing happening at the moment. It was just a normal, boring life and Eliott didn't really mind it. It gave him time to rest and not worry.

 

"Come on, there must be something."

 

"You are seriously overestimating my life," he snorted, amused. "School is the same as always and I don't have that many friends in there to know the juicy gossip. I've told you that already."

 

"You really need to get to know more people there," Sofiane shook his head in fake disappointment. "Who's supposed to tell me high school gossip if not you?"

 

"You can always ask Imane," Eliott raised an eyebrow.

 

"Duly noted," Sofiane laughed recognizing Eliott's answering teasing.

 

There was a beat of silence and Eliott knew that it probably meant that more serious subjects were approaching.

 

"How are things with your parents?" Sofiane finally asked.

 

Eliott shrugged.

 

"Better. My dad tries harder to have a more suitable schedule, but he can't always switch with colleagues and get the best hours. It wouldn't be fair for the others, you know."

 

Sofiane nodded slightly, his attention completely on what Eliott was saying.

 

Eliott's parents had been having problems for a while now. Eliott's father was a doctor and his schedule at the hospital was inconsistent and inconvenient most of the times. It was the usual for people in his field, but Eliott's mother hated that they barely got to spend any time together as a family. Their schedules almost never allowed for it and even family dinners were hard some weeks. So, things had been rough between them, with some arguments and divergence of opinions. It wasn't pretty some days.

 

"But it's good that it's working out better now, no?"

 

"Well, yes," Eliott nodded. "But I don't know how long it will last. Hectic schedules are part of a doctor's life and my dad won't be able to run away from them no matter how much the two of them want him to."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"Don't be. It's not like anyone can do anything to prevent it from happening. And it's not like it's a new situation. It's been happening since they got married… They'll get through it."

 

Sofiane didn't need to voice it for Eliott to hear the unsaid question.

 

"And if they don't, then it's probably or the best for them." He ran a hand through his hair. "If they can't work around it, then I wouldn't want them to be stuck in something that isn't making them completely happy."

 

It would suck to have his parents divorce, yes, but Eliott would understand it. It wouldn't be the end of the world and he would still be able to spend time with both of them. Above all, he just wanted them to be as happy as they could. Or at least that's what he tried convincing himself of every time he thought of the possibility of it happening.

 

"That's very mature," Sofiane said and he sounded only vaguely impressed, as if, when it came to Eliott, he wasn't surprised by that fact at all.

 

"You know me," Eliott turned his head to wink at him, making the both of them laugh.

 

"And what about you?" Sofiane asked when they stopped laughing. "How are you?"

 

"Good. School isn't being stressful right now. And going to the park and just relaxing and playing guitar is great for me. I feel lighter you know," he smiled.

 

"I'm very glad."

 

Sofiane had been there through almost every high and every low in Eliott's life since they had known each other. He was good at reading Eliott's moods by now and he usually understood what Eliott needed based on that. However, since they hadn't really been seeing each other regularly recently, Eliott understood why Sofiane could be a little worried about him. He was happy to have friends who cared about him this much, it always feels good to be reassured that he has someone he can turn to. Sometimes the worry can be badly translated to 'hovering' in Eliott's mind and it annoys him beyond anything. Surprisingly, though, this time it doesn't feel like hovering, it just feels like caring.

 

***

 

Sofiane didn't stay for much longer after that.

 

They listened to some music and played a video game, but it was getting late and Sofiane had to get home before dinner, so, eventually, he had to get up and leave Eliott's room.

 

Once Sofiane had left, Eliott got up from his bed and got some paper and a pencil from his desk, also throwing a book to the bed so he could put the paper on top of it and be able to draw. He put his headphones on, blasting some dubstep before laying down and grabbing the pencil.

 

Eliott started drawing the image he had on his mind. He didn't have control over the movement of his fingers, they did what they wanted to do and Eliott could only watch as he unconsciously drew exactly what he had lived just minutes before. Exactly what he wanted to draw.

 

He drew his room and his bed without much detail, just background to the important pieces of the drawing. A raccoon and a quokka, both on the bed looking up in comfortable silence.

 

Eliott had started giving spirit animals to the people in his life when he was thirteen. He had been learning about animals in science class and, when he got home, he had gone on a spiral of research.

 

He found out information about animals personalities and, after observing the people around him, he was intrigued to find that some of his classmates had attitudes similar to certain animals. It had made him think, research more and try to find the perfect animal for himself and his friends.

 

Granted, that hadn't been a great period in Eliott's life, but at least something good had come out of it and, to this day, he still used animals to describe the important people in his life.

 

At first, Eliott hadn't been sure about his own animal. He had thought about a bat and about an owl, but, although they were good options, they didn't seem to fit him right; there was always something he didn't identify with.

 

And then he had stumbled upon the raccoon and it just made sense to him.

 

Raccoons like the dark, they live in it and are one with it. They're smart and sweet, but can be unpredictable and mischievous. They're wild at heart and they'll hurt or leave if threatened or not cared for properly. They value touch above the other senses and they wear a mask that might protect them from the light. A mask that could be a metaphor for hiding the truth about oneself, a metaphor for self-preservation.

 

Eliott identified with them back when he was thirteen and, as he grew up and found out more things about himself and got to know himself better, he discovered that he does have more in common with raccoons than he thought before, making them the perfect spirit animal for him.

 

Finding Sofiane's animal hadn't been too hard, though. Eliott had been watching a documentary about Australian Animals and, when they talked about the quokka, Eliott had been sure that if any animal would fit his friend, it would be this one. Quokkas are sometimes referred to as the happiest animal in the world since they seem to smile and, spiritually, it's believed that being near one can lift anyone's mood. They're open and friendly and compassionate. And there was no other way for Eliott to describe Sofiane if not with those adjectives.

 

Eliott isn't sure how much time passed since he started drawing, but, when he looks up, his mother is in the doorway with a little smile on her face observing him while he draws.

 

"I didn't see you there," he said, a little startled.

 

"I noticed," she chuckled.

 

She walked into the room and set on the bed next to him looking at the drawing he had just finished.

 

"As beautiful as always," she ruffled his hair. "It had been a while since you drew Sofiane."

 

"It had been a while since we talked properly," he shrugged. "But we finally did today and it felt right to draw something about it," Eliott added the last touches to the drawing.

 

"You'll have to invite him and Idriss to have dinner with us soon. I haven't seen those boys in way too long."

 

"Will do," he laughed.

 

She picked the drawing up from the bed.

 

"Are you finished?"

 

"Yeah."

 

She got up, drawing in hand, and went to Eliott's desk to get some tape before hanging the drawing on the wall above Eliott's bed like she used to do when he was little.

 

Eliott's walls were mostly filled with drawings. Drawings from when he was little and didn't know what he was doing, abstract drawings as he now called them amusedly. Drawings he had done when he started growing up where you could actually understand what he had intended to transfer to the paper. And the drawings he had done after he had started giving people spirit animals.

 

Everyone that he cared about had a portrait somewhere in Eliott's walls. Alone. With him. In group. It was his way of showing himself who was important and which moments mattered.

 

Looking at his walls always gave him a sense of security. The people in there would always be there for him and he was incredibly grateful to have them.

 

"Dinner will be ready soon," his mother smiled at him before bending down to kiss his head. "Don't get distracted."

 

He watched her leave the room and smiled.

 

He knew he shouldn't start a new drawing now since it would distract him and probably make him late for dinner, but he couldn't help himself.

 

With a new piece of paper on top of the book he had been using as pretend table before and the pencil in his hand again, Eliott drew a racoon laying in bed again and, looming over him and kissing his head, a bear.

 

Because bears give strength and confidence and support, they can take leadership positions in aversive times and they're grounding. The perfect image of his mother.

 

Again, the time when he realized that his mother was exactly like that wasn't the best. It was hard for him and he was down and scared, but his mother had helped him through it, had been there for him every step of the way and had taken control when Eliott felt lost beyond belief. It hadn't been great, but it had helped to solidify his relationship her and, for that, Eliott was grateful.

 

He didn't put this drawing on his wall, it didn't feel like it belonged to him, it felt like it was meant for someone else. So, when he finally left his bedroom to go have dinner, Eliott stopped by his parents' room and put the drawing on their wall.

 

Because it really didn't belong to him, it belonged to his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that Lucas will appear in the next chapter, I just wanted to give Eliott a little back story.


	5. Chapter 5

The day wasn't as warm as the prior ones had been. However, it wasn't what could be considered as bad weather, far from it. There were some clouds in the sky, covering the sun and the wind was a bit stronger when compared to previous days, but it was still nice enough to be outside. Eliott was actually happy that it wasn't as hot. They would be playing basketball and obviously running, it would be great not to have the sun shining so brightly and hot on them.

 

Eliott had been looking for a pair of sweatpants for far longer than he ought to and, consequently, he ended up being late to meet up with Sofiane and Idriss. It didn't matter much, though, since Idriss had also been late and they had only arrived 5 minutes before Eliott. Now, though, all of them were late.

 

They were walking to the park at a fast pace, trying to get there as soon as possible. Sofiane was dribbling the ball while they ran to the park and Idriss was on his phone talking to Imane. Eliott was a little behind them, having had to stop on his way to tie his shoelaces.

 

"We're coming, Imane," Idriss was saying. "We're almost at the park."

 

Eliott couldn't hear Imane's response but, judging by Idriss' expression, Imane was probably annoyed with them for making the others wait. She had told Idriss that everyone was waiting for the three of them to arrive so they could start the game and Idriss had just waved her off, saying that they would be there soon. Eliott couldn't really blame her for being annoyed at them.

 

Imane hadn't been telling the whole truth, though. When they finally arrived at the park, Eliott could see that they weren't actually the last ones to arrive. Imane's team was missing one element which could only mean someone was even later than they were.

 

Sofiane and Idriss quickened their pace even more, approaching everyone without waiting for Eliott. He wanted to be annoyed at them, but he knew that, unlike him, they were excited to play, so he just let it go.

 

Idriss greeted everyone with a charming smile since he knew everyone who would be there. Sofiane was a little more reserved, but after being introduced to who he didn't know yet, he settled next to Imane to talk to her and seemed more at ease.

 

Eliott felt a little awkward having arrived a few seconds later. Everyone seemed to be having a conversation with someone and Idriss and Sofiane were too busy to apparently remember he was there. Idriss was talking to two of Imane's friends while Sofiane was making conversation with the girl.

 

Remembering what his friend had told him the day before, Eliott looked at Sofiane and Imane and at the way they were interacting. They seemed at ease with each other, laughing and smiling. They had soft smiles on their faces and it almost seemed like they were in their own little world.

 

Eliott could definitely see how much Sofiane liked her just by the way he looked at her, smiled at her and talked to her. He had never seen Sofiane like that with anyone before and he couldn't be happier for him. Especially because by what Eliott was seeing, Imane most likely felt the same way Sofiane did.

 

"Eliott, hey!" It was actually Imane who noticed him first.

 

"Hey," Eliott waved at her before looking around at everyone who would be playing with them.

 

Eliott already knew Léo and Adrien. He had hung out with them more than once before and they could almost be classified as his friends. The two of them would play in the same team as him, Idriss and Sofiane and Eliott could only hope that they were better players than him or the team would lose without a doubt.

 

Imane's team members were introduced to him as Alexia, Emma and Yann. They seemed nice enough and, even though they had just met him, they made him feel as if they had known each other for a long while already. Eliott appreciated that and, soon, he was having a conversation about music with Alexia while Idriss interrupted Imane's conversation with Sofiane to talk to her.

 

"I thought you said you were just waiting for us to start playing," he complained, throwing an arm around his sister's shoulders.

 

"Only way for you to hurry up," she smiled sarcastically at him. "We're actually waiting for Lucas. He should be here any minute now."

 

"Or he lost the bus," Yann shrugged implying that it had happened before.

 

"I didn't lose the bus," a slightly offended voice behind them startled Eliott.

 

"Lucas!" Emma exclaimed.

 

Eliott turned around, ready to meet the person who would be joining the game. If this Lucas was as nice as Imane's other friends, then Eliott didn't doubt that he would get along with him just fine. However, to his surprise, it wasn't someone he needed to meet, but someone he already knew.

 

Lucas looked as surprised to see Eliott there as Eliott was to see him. The world really was a small place at times. Lucas didn't look any different than he did the last time they talked, his hair was still messy, his eyes were still big and blue and the expression on his face still made him look kind. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a dark shirt, a blue jacket over it. And he was smiling, albeit a little timidly, at Eliott.

 

"Hey, Eliott," he greeted. Eliott felt a pleasant feeling inside of him at Lucas remembering his name. "Didn't know you would be here."

 

Eliott chuckled.

 

"I could say the same," he said before adding, "I'm friends with Idriss."

 

If Lucas was here in Imane's team it was because he knew her, without a doubt, so, to make the connection, Eliott could only explain that he was close to her brother.

 

Lucas nodded.

 

"I'm Imane's lab partner."

 

Eliott raised an eyebrow.

 

"So, you're a science kid too."

 

"Problem?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, but he seemed more amused than anything.

 

"No. I just prefer my literature."

 

"Yeah, I wouldn't be caught dead in there."

 

Eliott laughed and Lucas soon followed his lead. Lucas' laughter was fresh as the breeze and warm like the sun that was peaking through the clouds.

 

"I see you two know each other," Imane interrupted them by appearing where they were.

 

"Yeah," Eliott smiled at Lucas. "We met the other day."

 

Imane nodded.

 

"Are you guys ready to start the game?"

 

"As ready as ever," Eliott chuckled.

 

He waved at them and ran to were the rest of his team was. Idriss and Léo seemed to be discussing who would be in which position and Eliott just stood back and listened to them, not giving any insight in his opinion about the subject since he knew next to nothing about strategic basketball playing.

 

"How much you wanna bet we're going to lose?" Sofiane asked, sitting on the floor next to where Eliott was standing.

 

"Idriss is convinced we're going to win… A little too convinced. I can't bet anything because we are probably going to lose," Eliott agreed.

 

"Hey, you two, come on we're about to start!" Idriss called and Sofiane shrugged at Eliott before getting up and walking up to Idriss, Eliott right behind him.

 

Eliott looked at the other side of the field and noticed that Imane's team seemed to already be in place for the game and were now just waiting for them to be ready too.

 

Idriss grabbed Eliott's arms and positioned him where he thought Eliott would play the best. He had a determined gleam in his eyes and Eliott knew it came from the desire to win against his sister and her friends.

 

"Since you don't know how to play," Eliott didn't bother correcting him since it was the truth. "I'm going to have you doing one-on-one and marking just one player. Don't worry about anything else unless someone passes you the ball."

 

"Who am I marking then?"

 

"Lucas," Idriss pointed at the person who was in front of Eliott on the other side of the field. "He's shorter than you, that should work at your advantage to intercept the ball if someone passes to him."

 

Eliott nodded. He was glad there was some kind of advantage so that he wouldn't look completely ridiculous when he played. He still thought he wouldn't do that great of a job, but he didn't mind that much anyway.

 

Idriss seemed to be happy with Eliott's understanding of what he needed to do since he patted Eliott's back and moved on. He went to where Sofiane and Adrien were standing to tell them what he and Léo had decided would be a good strategy for the game.

 

On the other side of the field, Imane seemed to be getting impatient and annoyed with how long they were taking. She kept shooting Idriss some glares that he answered with grins that only made her roll her eyes at him. Eliott had always admired their relationship and their interactions.

 

Sometimes, especially when he saw their relationship, Eliott found himself imagining what it would be like to have a brother or a sister. Just a sibling he would have grown up with and would have had there with him every step of the way. Someone to annoy and love and support in the way only siblings can.

 

Eliott looked around the field, bored of waiting and curious to observe how everyone else was acting. Ready to get a little more scoop into what the others were like.

 

Alexia and Emma were talking about something together since their positions were very close to each other. Eliott saw them laughing and giggling sometimes, sparing some glances at everyone around the field, no doubt commenting everything everyone did. He thought that maybe it would annoy him if they were someone else. Yet, and even though he didn't really know them, the way they were talking seemed so genuine and not malicious at all. So much so that Eliott found himself not really caring or worrying about what they may or may not be saying about him.

 

Yann wasn't in the field anymore. While he had been observing the girls, Eliott had seen him leave his place and walk to where he had put his jacket to pick up his phone. He still hadn't come back and Eliott was sure that he would only do so whenever Idriss decided that the team was ready to play.

 

Eliott couldn't really blame Yann, Idriss was taking the game way too seriously and was taking too long to organize the team. Instead of leaving like Yann had done, though, since he had no desire of doing that, Eliott simply sat on the floor. He was ready to wait in a more comfortable position until it was time for the game to start.

 

When he looked up, Lucas was staring at him. Eliott smiled in his direction and Lucas chuckled.

 

It surprised Eliott that they already seemed so at ease with each other. Even though they had only interacted once before today, they kept sharing looks and smiles without needing words to communicate.

 

In a way, it was a little weird. Eliott had never felt such a quick connection to someone before, he wasn't used to this kind of ease with someone he didn't know that well. Nevertheless, it felt great and the thought that maybe they could become friends if they started talking more excited Eliott.

 

He wouldn't be surprised if they could become good friends eventually. And he wanted it. He wanted to be Lucas' friend and get to know him better. He really did want that, for a reason he couldn't even name.

 

Finally, after what seemed like way too long but had probably only been five minutes. Idriss came back to his place and called Yann, who dropped his phone inside his jacket's pocket again and took his position in the field. Eliott got up and stretched a little while Idriss and Imane argued over who should start with the ball. They ended up playing rock, paper, scissors and Idriss won, which made a smug grin stretch across his face just to annoy his sister.

 

The game started and Eliott felt as lost as he knew he would. He didn't know how to play basketball beyond knowing that they had to pass the ball to each other and put it inside the opposite team's basket.

 

Well, to be fair, he knew a bit more. For example, the ball couldn't go outside the field and the points they got for a basket depended on where the ball was thrown from. He also knew that he couldn't pass the ball to anyone in his side of the camp if it had already crossed the mid-camp line. Still, it wasn't enough to warrant some talent in basketball that could help his team win.

 

So, instead of worrying about what his teammates were doing and trying to get himself out of the other team's way so that he could receive the ball, Eliott decided to do what Idriss had said and just focus on Lucas and making sure he couldn't get the ball.

 

Intercepting the first one when Alexia passed it to Lucas and managing to pass it to Léo quickly had made him feel accomplished. If everything failed, he had that little second to pretend he could do some things when it came to basketball.

 

Lucas grumbled something behind him and Eliott laughed, feeling happier than he thought playing basketball could ever make him.

 

"It's not fair," Lucas said, but he seemed more amused than mad. "You're like a tree, how am I supposed to get the ball before you snatch it away?"

 

Eliott didn't dare say that he wouldn't be surprised if Lucas could actually do that. He was pretty sure that intercepting the ball this time had most likely luck, but Lucas didn't need to know that.

 

"Not my fault you're so short."

 

They turned their attention to the game then. Eliott's team was attacking and he kept making sure that Lucas didn't stray to somewhere where he couldn't prevent him from getting the ball.

 

The first team to score was Eliott's. Idriss passed the ball to Léo and then it was Sofiane who managed to put it in the basket. Idriss let out some kind of victory cry and stuck his tongue out when he passed by his sister, pleased that his team was winning. The proud grin didn't leave his face until Alexia scored for her team, not even two minutes later. Then, Idriss' expression was replaced by a more determined one.

 

There was a moment in the game, a small period of about five minutes when no one was able to score. Someone always managed to take the ball from the other team or the person who had it failed when shooting for the basket.

 

But they were having fun.

 

Eliott couldn't remember the last time he had had this much fun, it had been a long time ago and his cheeks and sides were starting to hurt from laughing so much.

 

His mood couldn't even be dampened by Idriss and Adrien being mad at him for 'letting' Lucas get the ball at some points.

 

Although Eliott was taller and that did come as an advantage most of the time, Lucas being shorter made it easier for him to sneak from Eliott's left to his right and catch the ball before Eliott could stop him.

 

Every time Lucas manages to do that, he always makes sure to look at Eliott over his shoulder with a smug, proud expression on his face. He acts as if sneaking past Eliott and getting the ball was the biggest accomplishment of his life. Eliott found it entirely too amusing and endearing to even care about the annoyed looks Idriss threw his way for not being able to do his one job properly.

 

"Step up your game, Eliott," Lucas taunts him while he throws the ball at Emma. "Being tall won't always help you."

 

Eliott simply laughs and pushes his shoulder playfully. Lucas is distracted grinning at him like a child who just won at go fish, and he uses that distraction to step in front of him and grab the ball Yann had attempted to pass to him.

 

"Eliott!"

 

"There's no need to get all spiky," Eliott chuckles.

 

"There would be no need if you would just let me play," Lucas grumbled.

 

The game was very even during however long it lasts.

 

There wasn't a team that was obviously better than the other. The biggest score difference happened when Eliott's team managed a 5 points lead. It didn't last long, though, and, not even 2 minutes later, Imane scored, quickly gaining advantage again.

 

The teams were well balanced. Eliott was clearly the worst player, he knew that, but Idriss and Léo more than made up for his lack of talent. Sofiane and Adrien could also hold their ground, scoring a few points and preventing some balls from getting inside their basket.

 

On the other team, Imane and Alexia were the best players. But the other three were also very good. The only reason why that didn't prove itself to be a big disadvantage for Eliott's team, since he didn't really know what he was doing, was the fact that he kept on preventing Lucas from getting the ball. That made the other team play with one less player at times.

 

It became apparent that no matter how long they played they would just keep going in circles. One team would take the lead for a minute only to go back to losing again the next. Although they were having fun, they were also starting to get tired and they all agreed that it was about time they put an end to the game.

 

So, after a little arguing about how much time they should have before the end, Sofiane set a timer for 5 minutes on his phone.

 

Both teams seemed to regain their breaths after that, all of them looking even more determined and ready to win the game.

 

At one point, Eliott feared someone would end up on the floor if they all kept looking at each other with such competitive gazes. Most of all, he feared for himself.

 

Lucas kept glaring at him, all frustration and annoyance, and Eliott wouldn't be surprised if he ended up getting kicked. He didn't mind though, and just kept marking Lucas and preventing him from getting the ball. A grin appeared on his face when, eventually, the team became so focused on winning that they give up on trying to pass the ball to Lucas. Considering his lack of skill for basketball, Eliott felt pretty accomplished.

 

He did feel a little guilty, but then the game ended, Lucas' team won and the boy offered him an amused smile, teased him about winning despite being shorter, and Eliott's guilt dissipated in the air.

 

***

 

Ten minutes had passed since the end of the game and all of them were now laying on the grass under the shade of a big tree. They were all tired and the sun was shining brighter than before making the weather entirely too warm. Eliott resented the long sleeved shirt he was wearing.

 

"We should do this again," Sofiane suggested. "It was fun."

 

"We should," Idriss agreed, sitting up quickly to look at the other team. "I demand a rematch."

 

Imane shrugged.

 

"If everyone's up for it, I don't see why not," she grinned at her brother. "It's always fun to kick your ass, brother dearest."

 

Everyone seemed to agree with the idea of playing again soon, except for Lucas who groaned.

 

"I am not playing again if Eliott keeps blocking me again."

 

"It's not like he can do anything else," Adrien snorted.

 

Eliott shrugged.

 

"He's not wrong. I'm not really a basketball player."

 

"Preventing someone from playing should be against our rules," Lucas said.

 

"We don't have rules."

 

"We should."

 

"Aw, don't be like that," Eliott laughed, stretching his arm to mess up Lucas' hair. "Still so prickly," he added, a small image appearing in his head like an instinct.

 

"Stop that," Lucas swatted his hand away but he was chuckling so Eliott knew he wasn't really mad.

 

"It's a promise then," Yann said, throwing one arm over Lucas's shoulder and the other over Sofiane's. "You'll get your rematch soon."

 

Looking around at the people around him, old friends and new friends alike, Eliott couldn't help but be excited for when the day of the rematch came. Because, even if he didn't like to play basketball, the prospect of spending another time with them made Eliott smile and wish it came as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And things between Lucas and Eliott officially start heating up! Hope you enjoyed ❤


	6. Chapter 6

 

Dinner had been unusually silent. The teasing, laid back atmosphere that had been there in the past weeks had been nowhere to be seen. The tension had been prominent and impossible to ignore, a dark cloud looming over them. Eliott had spent the time wishing for the clock to go faster so he could leave the kitchen as soon as possible, not wanting to be there any longer.

 

He wasn't stupid.

 

He was actually quite good at perceiving when something wasn't right and even working out what exactly was haunting the people around him. That empathy came in handy sometimes, it helped him understand people and be there for them. Sometimes, though, Eliott wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse, sometimes he wished he could stay in the innocent ignorance. Like right now.

 

He had connected the dots fairly easily. He knew what was going on and what had brought it on, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Maybe staying in the dark would have been better. Pretending not to know just wasn't enough, he would prefer actually not knowing.

 

The day before, his father had come home almost one hour after he had said he would. Eliott and his mother had already finished their dinner when he had opened the door and got into the house. He had gone to where they were sitting in the living room, had sat on the empty couch and had apologized for being late. Then, he had explained the situation, had wanted to make sure they knew that it hadn't been by choice that he hadn't had dinner with them. Apparently, there had been an emergency at the hospital and he had had to take care of it before he had been able to come home. Eliott had understood, being a doctor came with unexpected cases at unexpected hours, it wasn't too big of a deal to him. So, he had simply shaken his head and had told his father it was alright.

 

But Eliott's mother had been another story.

 

She had been mad and closed off since then. And Eliott could understand her, he felt the same way about it despite his perception of the situation. After all, it wasn't the first time that this happened and it wouldn't be the last, they all knew that.

 

The problem now is that his parents still hadn't talked to each other the whole day and now they were still not talking. Things weren't resolved and Eliott couldn't help but resent how selfish they were being by not dealing with what was happening.

 

Eliott had had to deal with the silence that had surrounded them throughout dinner and it wasn't fair.

 

The silence was only interrupted by his father attempting to start a conversation with him, but it was awkward and ended as soon as it started bringing back the loaded silence. His mother hadn't made an effort to speak to his father the whole meal, she hadn't even looked at him. Eliott knew they were just waiting for him to leave the kitchen to finally talk to each other and he would do so as quickly as possible.

 

He ate as fast as he could, wanting to both let the talk like they needed to and get away from this situation as soon as possible. He didn't like to be in the middle because it made him feel like he had to choose a side. And he couldn't do that. Despite not liking the situation and wanting it to change, he understood both perspectives. That would've made it difficult to choose. And other than that, how could he ever choose between his mother and his father?

 

When he finally finished eating, Eliott grabbed an apple he could eat in his room and sighed when looking at the environment still in the kitchen. He smiled small at his parents before leaving the kitchen, apple in hand, and going upstairs to his room.

 

He didn't know what to do. He knew that the conversation between his parents was going to pick up at any moment and he really didn't feel like listening to that. He had to find something to do before it happened.

 

Eliott put his earphones on to drown out the sound of the upcoming argument with music and finishes eating his apple. Then, he sits at his desk, a pencil in hand and a blank paper in front of him, ready to leave this place even if not physically.

 

He didn't even have to actively think about the image he wanted to transfer to the paper. The moment he touched it with his pencil and started moving his hand and wrist, the image appeared without any further prompting.

 

He was sure that he wouldn't be hanging this particular drawing on his wall. The wall was meant for his most precious, happy memories, not for this one. This one was going to the black box he had under his bed where he kept the drawings he didn't regard as fondly.

 

In this drawing, there was a bear and a coyote. They were on opposite sides of a table and the light of the room was low, casting shadows that looked haunting. The both of them looked mad, annoyed and ready to start an argument. On the corner of the page, almost hidden by the shadows and slightly hard to see, there was also a raccoon, listening in.

 

It was the image of what Eliott had seen throughout dinner and when he had left the kitchen. The tension between his parents. The way subjects they hadn't talked about yet were looming over them. The divergence of opinions. And Eliott just watching, a spectator to a movie he didn't want to witness.

 

The lead of his pencil broke when he was adding some more shadows to the room and he got up from his chair, not feeling like drawing anymore. Not feeling like being here anymore.

 

It happened a lot of times with drawings like this one. He got so caught up in his mind that it was hard to leave the gloomy places where he found himself. If he wasn't careful, those gloomy shadows would follow him to the outside world and haunt him for some hours.

 

He needed to clear his head.

 

Looking around the room, Eliott spotted his guitar on top of the bed and quickly put it inside its case, not even thinking twice about it. Playing the guitar away from the house and his parents' voices would surely help him free himself from the shadows.

 

He put his music sheets inside the pocket of the guitar case hastily, not even considering the fact that he probably wouldn't be able to read them since it was darkening outside, and was even quicker to put on his sneakers and his jacket. In no time, he was leaving his room behind with his guitar case on his back, phone in his hand and earphones in his ears like he always did when he went to the park. The only difference this time was his state of mind.

 

Eliott knew that he had to let his parents know he was leaving the house and where he was going, he couldn't just disappear without saying anything. But he didn't want to go to the kitchen where the voices were rising and interrupt what was going on.

 

So, he left the house, making sure to make some noise while walking down the hall and closing the door, and, when outside, sent a text to both their phones telling them he was going to the park.

 

The walk to the park seemed longer than it actually was. There was a battle inside Eliott's head that was making it hard to enjoy the usually peaceful path. The thoughts that wanted to make an appearance at the forefront of his mind fighting his desire not to think about anything.

 

He quickened his pace.

 

Getting to the park was a relief. Eliott was able to finally exhale properly once he was surrounded by the green of the grass and the trees and the sound of birds chirping nearby. It was so peaceful that he felt the memories of his parents' raised voices and the anxiety of not knowing how they were going to solve this leave his mind.

 

He sat on a bench that was closer to the road then where he would normally sit. Right now, he didn't have the energy necessary to walk further into the park. He took a few deep breaths before taking his guitar out of its case. He ended up leaving the music sheets inside of it, it really was too dark to see them properly.

 

It was a routine by now. Sitting on that bench, tuning his guitar and breathing in the lighter air. Looking around every once in a while and observing the world and the people around him. Of course, since it was already late today, there was no one around. Instead of feeling lonely though, Eliott just felt at peace with himself.

 

He chose to play the song he was currently trying to learn. He knew that getting frustrated with it right now wasn't the smartest decision, but he wanted to do it anyway. He wanted to feel the strings and the chords and the strumming and the melody. And he wanted to feel like he could do something.

 

The song started playing and he let it consume him from his ears to his fingertips. His fingers glided against the strings, jumping from one note to the other, picking the E string and then the D string.

 

And it didn't sound awful like the other times he had tried to play it. No. It sounded good. Effortless. Raw and genuine.

 

It sounded better than it had ever sounded before. Eliott was making an effort not to think about other subjects and that made him focus harder on the guitar and the music. There were no mistakes, only the music he wanted to play.

 

Eliott felt his muscles relax, the last whispers of the shadows leaving his mind with the tension that had been on his shoulders. He closed his eyes and felt a smile slowly creep up to his face. It was a reminder that even when he went home again he would still have this moment to look back on and remember.

 

The negativity inside of him died with the last note of the song and Eliott opened his eyes. He had been in his own little world and only now did he notice that he had attracted a sole spectator.

 

In front of him, sitting on his skateboard, Lucas was looking at him full of wonder and surprise. Lucas' eyes were shifting from Eliott's face to his hands still on the guitar, but all of his attention was on him and Eliott felt a sudden warmness light up inside of himself.

 

No one had ever looked at him like that while he played the guitar. Or ever. Maybe no one had looked at him like that ever.

 

Even his parents and his friends, who always looked impressed and happy and proud of him, had never had quite this expression on their faces when he finished playing something. This, Lucas' emotions clear as a day on his face, were new and Eliott would be lying if he said he didn't want to see more of them. He wanted to be the cause behind more of them.

 

"That was incredible," Lucas breathed out.

 

Eliott took his earphones off and felt himself grin.

 

"Thank you."

 

"I mean, I knew you were good, but that was crazy."

 

"How did you know that I was good?" Eliott laughed, a little suspicious.

 

"What? You think you're the only one who can watch the other?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "I heard you the other day."

 

Eliott smiled at that, feeling slightly flustered, and looked down at his guitar.

 

"When did you start learning?"

 

"I was around fourteen, I think. It's been a while."

 

"Did someone inspire you or was it just a whim that turned out to be a good idea?" Lucas asked and he seemed genuinely interested in Eliott's answer.

 

"I wouldn't exactly call it a whim," Eliott shrugged, not really knowing how to answer. "But it did turn out to be a great idea."

 

There was a beat of silence when they just looked at each other. Lucas' eyes were like the ocean. So pretty yet mysterious, with an unknown depth that called for someone to explore its most beautiful corners. Eliott wanted to discover all those corners, discover what was hidden behind Lucas' eyes and swim in them. He couldn't look away.

 

"What about you?" He asked, eyes still locked on Lucas'. "How long have you been skating?"

 

Lucas seemed to snap out of the trance they had both been in and looked at one of the trees near them, not meeting Eliott's eyes again. Eliott wondered if the subject was somehow touchy and pondered taking back the question, reassuring Lucas he didn't have to tell him anything. But then Lucas' ocean eyes came back to him and the words stopped at his throat.

 

There were more waves in those eyes than there had been before. The blue was more agitated, but still beautiful and inviting.

 

"I started to learn when I was six years old? Around that time," he told Eliott. "My mom taught me," he said fondly. "She used to skate when she was younger and she wanted me to be able to feel what she felt every time she was skating."

 

Eliott felt himself smile with the image of a little Lucas being taught how to skate by his mother. He could tell, by the look on Lucas' face, that those memories were very precious to him and that he regarded them with a certain fondness that made his face soften and the waves inside of his eyes calm.

 

However, while looking into Lucas' eyes, Eliott couldn't help but think that while the surface of that ocean looked warm and serene, the deeper parts of it looked colder and more agitated. It made Eliott curious to know more.

 

"Well, she did a great job teaching you then," Eliott said softly, the moment seeming fragile and entirely too important. "You're fantastic."

 

A more mischievous expression took over Lucas' face then and Eliott found himself eager to know what had crossed Lucas' mind to warrant it.

 

"Good to know," he smirked. "How else would I get cute guitarists to notice me?"

 

"I don't think you need to be worried about that," Eliott raised an eyebrow, joining him in the little flirting game. "I would have probably noticed you at some point. Just look at you."

 

Lucas chuckled and looked at Eliott with an expression that showed how little he wanted the conversation to end. Eliott shared the sentiment. This moment here with Lucas felt like a safe haven after the situation at home. It felt like nothing could come and ruin this because. They wouldn't let anything destroy it. Ideally, at least.

 

"I should actually go practice soon," Lucas looked at the skatepark he was sitting on. "It's what I came here to do."

 

"Yeah," Eliott nodded. "I only managed to play one song but I did come here to play," and, as an afterthought, he added. "Running into you was just a bonus."

 

Lucas looked back at him with a soft smile.

 

"A very good bonus."

 

Eliott opened his mouth but couldn't get anything out before he was interrupted by his phone. He looked down at it, a wave of disappointment coursing through him, to see his dad calling. He sighed before looking apologetically at Lucas and picked up.

 

"Yes?"

 

" _Do you want me to pick you up_?"

 

Eliott moved his phone away from his ear so he could look at the time, surprised to see that it was already getting late and he had to go home.

 

"Sure," he answered. "How long?"

 

" _I'll be there in about ten minutes_."

 

"Ok," Eliott answered before hanging up.

 

He looked up at Lucas, wanting nothing more than to stay at the park with him and not go home to deal with the situation there. But he knew it didn't work like that.

 

"I have to go," he finally said.

 

Lucas nodded and got up, but Eliott could see that he was feeling as disappointed as himself. It made something inside him flutter to know that Lucas was feeling the same things he was. That he wasn't alone in this or imagining something.

 

"I'll see you soon?" He asked while Eliott was putting his guitar inside its case again.

 

"Of course," he smiled, raising from his seat and putting his guitar case on his back.

 

Though playing guitar had been his initial idea to get his mind off of things he didn't want to think about, Eliott hadn't done much of it. Despite that, he wasn't made at himself for it. The conversation with Lucas had proved itself to be a great way to keep Eliott's mind occupied with something else.

 

He was about to say goodbye and leave but, one looks at Lucas' face and his curious ocean eyes, made him stop and blurt out what had been on the back of his mind.

 

"We should do this again."

 

Lucas’ eyes met his and a surprised smile lit up his face.

 

“We should,” he agreed. “Whenever you want.”

 

Eliott looked down at the phone in his hands.

 

“Give me your number? So we can plan something?” Eliott asked a little unsure and held his phone out for Lucas to take.

 

Was it overstepping? By the smirk on Lucas' lips and the eye contact he hadn't broken yet, it didn't seem like it was.

 

Lucas reached out to grab the phone from Eliott's hand looking as pleased to give Eliott his number as Eliott was feeling.

 

"Here," he said after having typed it.

 

He gave Eliott his phone back, his fingertips touching Eliott's hand in a gentle caress. For a second, Eliott thought that it had been accidental, but the look on Lucas' face was intense and there was no other word for his gesture other than deliberate.

 

The moment was broken, once again, by Eliott's phone vibrating in his hand with a text from his father.

 

From dad:  _I'm here_

 

Eliott sighed and looked up at Lucas again, a small, regretful smile on his face.

 

"Bye, Lucas."

 

"Bye, Eliott," Lucas grinned before turning around and skating away to the skatepark.

 

With the promise of spending more time with Lucas, Eliott walked to the car that was waiting for him just outside the park. He looked back, just once, to see Lucas skating but still looking at him.

 

When Lucas disappeared from his view and Eliott reached the car, it became harder to ignore what had brought him outside in the first place.

 

He opened the car door and got inside without saying anything. He didn't know how to start a conversation with his father right now. He had left the house for a while because his parents had been arguing, they both knew that, and none of them knew what to say.

 

"I'm sorry," his father broke the silence after he had started the car. "You shouldn't have to see me and your mom like that."

 

Eliott shook his head.

 

"I know having arguments is part of a relationship," he said, knowing fully well that his parents were a little past the healthy amount of arguments.

 

"You shouldn't have to leave the house because your parents are having an argument, Eliott," he sighed. "It's not right."

 

"Dad…"

 

"Look, your mother and I talked," he said seriously, which wasn't that usual for him. "We're trying to solve things, but I know you know that it's being a little complicated."

 

Eliott nodded, looking out the window. He knew that.

 

"Good. And, Eliott, I want you to know that no matter what happens between me and your mother, we're still your parents and we will always be here for you. Both of us."

 

"I know, dad."

 

They rode in silence for some minutes, not because they didn't know how to speak to each other this time, but because they didn't need to. When they were almost home, his father looked at him from the corner of his eye and Eliott saw a playful expression appear on his face.

 

"Now, let's go home so you can tell me about that boy I saw you with."

 

Eliott startled and looked at him.

 

"What? You looked so happy I didn't want to interrupt you, but it was getting late," his father shrugged.

 

"I-" Eliott started, surprised that his father had seen him and Lucas. "Alright, I'll tell you about him."

 

"Great. I have to know if he deserves the privilege of talking to my son."

 

Eliott just laughed and shook his head amusedly.

 

This was why his father was a coyote. He was a joker, he didn't take life too seriously and would rather see the fun parts of what happened around him. But he was also smart and he knew how to be serious when he needed to be, knew how to share his wisdom with those who needed it. Eliott always appreciated his father's view of life. Laid back but responsible and ready to teach what he knew.

 

And always, always, there for him when he needs it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if Eliott's parents not having the best relationship right now would seem too random or not, but, more than anything, I wanted to give Eliott depth and showing his home life, not so great now but with potential, seemed like something important to give him.
> 
> Things with Lucas are heating up even more, though, and I can assure you that in the next chapter there's going to be even more development in their relationship ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! ❤


	7. Chapter 7

Eliott had had Lucas' number saved on his phone since yesterday and he hadn't tried contacting him yet.

 

He had planned on doing it when he got home, if only so that Lucas could have his number too. However, when they got home, his father had insisted on 'questioning' Eliott about Lucas. He had wanted to know what Eliott thought of Lucas, how they had met and what they had been doing at the park. In the end, Eliott ended up forgetting to send the text.

 

In the morning, Eliott the thought of texting Lucas had crossed his mind for a brief second. He hadn't been able to do it then either for two main reasons. He had woken up too late and had had to run through the house to get ready in time to catch the bus or he would have been late for class. Or than that, Eliott also wasn't entirely sure what to say. In the end, he had just let it go and had promised himself to do it later.

 

Now, it was lunchtime and Eliott was sitting in the cafeteria with Alex, who he shared a few classes with, and he still hadn't texted Lucas.

 

Alex was complaining about the literature homework they had, some texts to analyze and a few questions to answer about them and Eliott had to agree with him, it was a bit too much work, even if it wouldn't kill them. It was a little frustrating to know that he would have to do homework tonight when he could have had a relaxing night otherwise. Still, Eliott couldn't help but laugh every time Alex groaned and cursed the teacher for, in his words, 'overworking them'. Even if Eliott did share the sentiment, the way Alex was phrasing everything was entirely too funny not to.

 

"I'm telling you, Eliott," Alex said seriously. "That woman wants to kill us from exhaustion before graduation."

 

"Don't be so dramatic," Eliott chuckled. "It's just a few texts to analyze."

 

"And they're going to take hours."

 

Eliott shook his head amusedly and shrugged. At this point, both of them were already used to their literature teacher and had learned how to cope with her exhausting methods. Complaining for a little bit did feel great, though.

 

"How are things with Emma?" Eliott changed the subject with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

 

"Great," Alex smirked. "I mean, everything is different from how it was before. We're spending time together and having fun without it automatically meaning the only thing we do is have sex," he explained. "It's a little weird, but I do like it."

 

He paused before looking up at Eliott and adding. "I have to introduce you to her."

 

"I already know Emma," Eliott said. "Not thanks to you, I might add," he teased.

 

"When did you meet her?" Alex asked surprised.

 

Eliott took a bite out of the food he still had on his plate and shrugged.

 

"I'm friends with Imane's brother. Emma played basketball with us last Sunday."

 

"You played basket without me?" Alex asked in mock offence.

 

Eliott snorted.

 

"You're free to play in my place next time they decide to have a game if you want. I'm not very good."

 

"Do I know anyone else that was playing?" Alex took a gulp of his water.

 

"You probably know the rest of her team. Imane, Yann, Alexia and Lucas."

 

Alex nodded.

 

"Well, if they and the other players don't mind, then please do tell me when the next game is."

 

"Will do," Eliott smiled before looking around.

 

On a table nearby, Lucas was sitting with Yann and two other boys. He was rolling his eyes at something the one with curly hair was saying not looking very impressed before he looked up and caught Eliott's eyes.

 

Eliott wasn't sure if Lucas had felt that someone was staring at him and that was why he looked up or if it had just randomly happened, but Lucas wasn't looking away. He kept staring at Eliott, eyes unwavering and intense gaze and Eliott couldn't be more grateful for the little moment.

 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Eliott grabbed his phone from his pocket and opened his texts, finally creating a new one to send to Lucas.

 

**To Lucas:**

_ Do you want to hang out after school? _

_ It's Eliott _

 

Eliott saw Lucas pick up his phone from the table and, instead of looking away, kept waiting to see his reaction. At reading the texts, a smile appeared on Lucas' face and Eliott felt his heart flutter at the sight of a text by him could do.

 

It made him happy that, apparently and from that reaction, Lucas wanted to spend time with Eliott as much as Eliott wanted to spend time with him.

 

He watched as Lucas typed out his answer and looked down when his phone vibrated in his hands.

 

**From Lucas:**

_ Been waiting for your text _

_ Thought you had forgotten about me _

 

Eliott winced, knowing that it really hadn't been great to wait this long to send anything, but knowing that there was no way to turn back time. And now he could only make it up to Lucas.

 

He bit his lip, thinking of the better way to answer.

 

**To Lucas:**

_ I could never forget about you _

 

He hesitated. It was the truth, but did he want to say the purest truth right now? Did he want to be bold and make sure Lucas knew he was interested? He wasn't sure.

 

He looked up to see Lucas staring at him, his blue eyes beautiful and warm when they met Eliott's. And Eliott hit send.

 

He watched as Lucas read the text. He watched as his eyes widened and as his cheeks blushed and felt like he had made the best decision he could have possibly made.

 

Lucas' friends seemed to notice his focus on his phone though, and they promptly took Lucas' attention away from it. Eliott tried not to be upset, knowing that they had probably noticed Lucas' blush and wanted to know what he was doing that was taking his attention away from the people he was actually having lunch with. It did make him a little sad that he wasn't getting Lucas' answer, but then the guy with glasses said something and Yann patted Lucas' on the back and the blush on his cheeks deepened and, faced with that sight, Eliott couldn't even be upset anymore.

 

"So," Alex interrupted his musings too. "Lucas."

 

Eliott locked his phone and put it on the table before looking up to catch Alex's teasing smile. He had probably been watching the interaction between the two of them and had put two and two together. It's not like they were being subtle with their eye contact in the middle of the cafeteria and the texting and smiling.

 

"What?" Eliott grinned, pretending not to know exactly what Alex meant.

 

"Are you dating?"

 

"No," Eliott answered. He looked at Lucas again and saw him hiding his face in his hands, his hair standing up in more than one direction and the scarf that was too big for him around his neck. "Not yet."

 

That made Alex wiggle his eyebrows at him and lean forward with his elbows on the table.

 

"So, you want to date him."

 

"Well, we haven't hung out that much," Eliott said nonchalantly. "But I do want to change that and see where it goes."

 

Eliott's phone vibrated on the table and he was quick to pick it up and look down at it. Alex laughed at him, finding his hurry quite funny and Eliott didn't hesitate to show him his middle finger.

 

**From Lucas:**

_ Stop _

_ I don't need to get even more teased by my friends _

 

Eliott snorted and started typing his answer.

 

**To Lucas:**

_ But you're adorable when you blush _

 

He looked up at where Lucas was proving Eliott's text was right and winked. The answer came almost immediately.

 

**From Lucas:**

_ Shut up _

 

**To Lucas:**

_ What if I don't want to? _

 

**From Lucas:**

_ Then I'll make you _

 

**To Lucas:**

_ Sounds promising _

 

Eliott looked up in time to see Lucas almost choking on the water he had taken a sip from and couldn't help but laugh at how flustered the simple text had seemed to leave him.

 

**From Lucas:**

_ Eliott _

_ Shut up _

_ I'll meet you at the gate after school? _

 

Eliott wanted to tease Lucas a little bit more, but one quick look at his table, showed the lovely red blush that Lucas already had on his cheeks, as well as Yann trying to read over his shoulder and the other boys looking curious. So, he decided that the three of them would probably do enough teasing for now and Eliott could let the subject change and wait for later.

 

**To Lucas:**

_ I'll be waiting _

 

***

 

At the end of the day, Eliott could barely contain his excitement. The clock seemed to be going slower than ever before and classes seemed to drag. The prospect of hanging out with Lucas when the school day was over was dooming Eliott to be at odds with the time. He kept tapping his foot against the floor in annoyance while taking turns doodling at the margins of his page and staring at the clock, willing time to pass faster.

 

Alex, who was sitting next to him in their last class, kept looking at him and rolling his eyes in amusement, knowing exactly why Eliott wanted the class to finish as soon as possible. If anyone else in the room noticed Eliott's mood, no one said anything (apart from the girl in front of him who turned around to ask him to stop tapping his foot) and he thanked that he was in a class full of people who knew how to keep to themselves.

 

When the bell finally rang, Eliott was the first one to gather his things and speed out of the classroom, ignoring Alex laughing behind him and the few people he bumped into on his way to his locker.

 

He was quick to put the books he wouldn't need inside and hurried to the gate where he and Lucas had agreed to meet.

 

His palms were sweating and he put his hands inside his pockets to stop them from fidgeting, though he couldn't stop his heart from beating quickly or his foot from tapping against the floor as soon as he leaned against the wall to wait for Lucas.

 

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long for, not even two minutes after he had arrived, Lucas came out of the building. He wasn't alone, he was with his friends, Yann and the other two boys he had had lunch with, and, although the other three were talking, Lucas was silent and looking around.

 

Eliott saw him turn his head to the left and to the right and was amused to notice that he hadn't even thought about looking at the actual place where they had agreed to meet. He grabbed his phone and opened his texts with Lucas.

 

**To Lucas:**

_ You know, we agreed to meet at the gate _

_ Do you even know where the gate is? _

_ You don't seem to, you're looking everywhere but at it _

 

He sent the texts and waited for Lucas to read them and then look up at him. Eliott smirked and waved at him when Lucas' eyes finally found him, feeling less nervous now that Lucas was there and seemed happy to see him.

 

Lucas put his phone back in his pocket and turned to his friends. Eliott saw him say something to them and point in Eliott's general direction before the other three boys looked at him. Their expressions were something between amused and teasing when they turned back to Lucas. Eliott had been right, Lucas' friends would do the teasing if he couldn't.

 

Then, the Lucas' friends started promptly walking in Eliott's direction and Lucas hesitated slightly before following them. There was a frustrated frown on his face and he looked like he was trying very hard to ignore what the other boys were saying and failing. It was endearing to watch, the way he was reacting and interacting with his friends, and Eliott couldn't tear his eyes away.

 

"Hello, Eliott," Yann was the first to greet them when they got to where he was.

 

"Hi," Eliott smiled at him before turning to the two boys he hadn't met yet. "I'm Eliott."

 

"Arthur," the one with glasses introduced himself.

 

"Basile," the other said right after. "You're the one who has been making Lucas smile at his phone?"

 

Lucas grumbled something about Basile not being subtle at all.

 

"Well," Eliott started. "I hope so."

 

Lucas' head snapped up to look at him quickly and Eliott winked at him, making him flush and clear his throat.

 

"Should we go?" He asked.

 

"But we're just getting to know Eliott, Lulu," Arthur grinned at him.

 

"Fuck off," Lucas rolled his eyes.

 

Yann shook his head at his friends' antics and threw his arm around Lucas' shoulders.

 

"Don't worry," he squeezed Lucas' shoulders. "You go, I'll keep them controlled."

 

Lucas rolled his eyes but stepped away from Yann's grip and closer to Eliott.

 

"We'll talk to you at some other time then, Eliott," Arthur said.

 

Eliott looked down at Lucas and his still annoyed face before smiling at Arthur.

 

"Of course."

 

"Bye," Lucas said before anyone else could add anything. "We're going now."

 

He grabbed Eliott's arm and pulled him out of the school with him, tightening his grip when Eliott looked back to wave at Lucas' friends.

 

"Stop giving them material to tease me, Eliott," Lucas whined a little while they walked.

 

Eliott chuckled.

 

"But you look adorable when you're flushed."

 

"Shut up," Lucas grumbled, letting go of Eliott's arm.

 

They walked in silence for a little. It was slightly awkward, none of them really knowing what to talk about considering they hadn't talked to each other much before and didn't know each other very well. Eliott was planning to change that.

 

"Where should we go?" He asked, glancing at Lucas.

 

It was the first time they were interacting properly outside of the park. It wasn't a quick conversation in there or some teasing words with friends around. This was just the two of them together and it felt more real. Eliott wanted to make sure that everything about the rest of the time they spent together today was perfect. He wanted to ensure that it would happen again.

 

"Maybe go for a coffee?" Lucas asked. "I'm tired so I don't really feel like walking."

 

Eliott nodded and guided Lucas through the Parisian streets to one of his favourite coffee shops, while Lucas talked about how boring his last class of the day had been. As they walked, Eliott could feel himself relax a little and the tension and nerves that had been inside of him easing away slightly.

 

Being with Lucas was easy. He didn’t feel the need to always be paying attention to everything that was going on around him and he didn’t feel scared. It felt relaxing and, even though they still had to learn more about each other and still didn’t have that much to talk about, it just felt right. There were some nerves since it was such a new thing that Eliott wanted to go forward with so much, but spending time with Lucas was worth the nerves.

 

When they arrived at the coffee shop, a small establishment that Eliott had discovered by chance some months ago, there weren’t many people inside and the two of them chose a table near the back. One of the waitresses came almost as soon as they had sat down to take their orders and Eliott asked for a cup of mint tea while Lucas asked for a coffee. The waitress left them with a smile and Eliott’s eyes returned to Lucas.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t text you sooner,” Eliott said. “I got distracted when I got home and forgot.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Lucas waved it off. "It hardly matters that you took some hours to do it, Eliott."

 

He was playing with a napkin, folding and unfolding the corners and ripping off some sections. He seemed to be a bit fidgety, matching the small nerves that still remained inside of Eliott very well. Lucas’ right leg was moving up and down below the table and, wanting to calm him down, Eliott moved his left one so it was touching it.

 

Lucas stopped moving, startled, and looked up at Eliott with wide eyes. It seemed that, even though they were on what Eliott considered to be an unofficial date, Lucas hadn’t been expecting for Eliott to touch him so casually, even if it was a barely-there touch.

 

Lucas opened his mouth and blinked, no words coming out. He breathed in slowly and gulped. Eliott was taken aback to see that just a little touch from him could make someone feel like that, speechless and astounded. It had never happened to him before, he had never made someone feel like that and had no one make his heart beat as fast as his heart was beating right now. But Lucas seemed to be struggling with words and Eliott decided to step in with the first question that popped into his head, to maybe help both of them relax.

 

“How long have you know the boys?”

 

Lucas blinked the previous astonishment away.

 

"I've known Yann for a really long time. Since we were about ten or eleven, I think," he smiled. "We met at the skatepark. And then we met Basile and Arthur at school."

 

"They're cool. You seem close."

 

"Well, if teasing me relentlessly is what you consider 'cool', then I guess they are."

 

"I'm not going to say it's not amusing to tease you."

 

Lucas glared playfully and seemed ready to bite back, but the waitress came back to the table at that moment and put their cups on the table, making the two of them look up to thank her.

 

"We are very close, though," Lucas said once she left. "What about you? When did you meet Imane's brother and the others?"

 

"Sofiane was my neighbour when I was little and he was friends with them. So, we met through him and have been friends since."

 

"That's a long friendship."

 

"It is. Sometimes it gets annoying how well they know me and how many embarrassing stories about me they know."

 

"So, hypothetically, if I wanna know anything embarrassing about you, it's them I should ask?"

 

Eliott raised an eyebrow, glad that Lucas seemed to be more relaxed and was now making jokes and teasing him, too. It felt good to just be in there with him and enjoy their little unofficial date, get to know him and learn more things about him.

 

"Hypothetically…" Eliott said sarcastically making sure Lucas knew he was aware that the question wasn't hypothetical. "They are the ones with the most information, yes."

 

"Good to know." Lucas winked cheekily.

 

They emptied their cups among playful, teasing and silly banter. All the nerves seemed to ease away from their bodies and their shoulders relaxed, they leaned forward on the table to talk to each other like the small distance was hurting them in some way. Lucas was very amusing when he felt more comfortable and Eliott caught himself laughing more often that he had done in weeks. They stayed for a few minutes even after their drinks were empty as if they were afraid of putting an end to their time together.

 

Once the sky was darkening outside and they didn't have any excuses to stay inside the café any longer, the two of them got up, put their jackets on and grabbed their backpacks before paying and heading outside.

 

It wasn't cold, but the overly romantic part of Eliott wished it was so that he had an excuse to throw his arm around Lucas' shoulders and pull him closer. He looked at Lucas from the corner of his eye and saw that he was looking down. There was a furrow between his eyebrows and he looked like he was pondering something. Eliott opened his mouth, ready to ask if something was bothering him, but Lucas didn't give him time to do so.

 

Lucas reached his right hand out and grabbed Eliott's left one.

 

Eliott startled a little, looked down at their hands and then back up at Lucas' ocean eyes. He seemed a little apprehensive as if he wasn't sure whether or not holding Eliott's hand had been the best idea. Eliott didn't want Lucas to look like that, he wanted him to look confident and sure of himself again.

 

So, Eliott squeezed his hand and pulled him a bit so they were closer, their arms touching briefly when they took a step. He felt Lucas' relax and he breathed out, this was good. This was great. He was walking and holding hands with Lucas and he couldn't think of a better way to spend his time.

 

He caressed Lucas' knuckles with his fingertips, felt the way Lucas shuddered a little a the gesture and heard how he took in a sharp intake of breath. After Lucas' reaction, Eliott shouldn't have been as startled as he was when Lucas suddenly stopped walking.

 

Lucas raised their hands and let go of Eliott's only to hold it between both of his so that he could look at it. He looked focused and he used his index' fingertip to touch the tip of Eliott's fingers.

 

"Is this from playing guitar?"

 

Eliott looked at his own fingers. The skin was a bit bruised where the fingertips touched the strings, they were a little calloused and rough to the touch.

 

"Yeah," he nodded with a small shrug. "Guess it comes with the passion."

 

"Does it hurt?" Lucas seemed intrigued.

 

"Not really."

 

Lucas didn't seem to care that Eliott said it didn't hurt, though. He looked up at Eliott's eyes, the same expression he had had when he was pondering holding Eliott's hand on his face. Eliott tried to show him reassurance, not sure what Lucas was planning but knowing that Lucas could do anything that he wanted and Eliott probably wouldn't mind.

 

He wasn't prepared for when Lucas brought his hand up and pressed a soft kiss to each one of his fingertips. Eliott shuddered and his breath got stuck in his throat, his heart beating way too fast inside his chest.

 

Lucas had just kissed his fingertips. He had carefully cradled his hand and had pressed a kiss to his bruised fingertips as if Eliott was the most precious thing in the world.

 

Lucas seemed slightly surprised at Eliott's expression and Eliott promised himself that he would make sure that Lucas never doubted just how much Eliott was affected by him.

 

Eliott smiled at him and, when Lucas let go of his hand, he threw an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to his body. He didn't need an excuse. He just wanted Lucas closer.

 

And, when Lucas' arm hugged him around the waist, Eliott was sure he felt the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relationship development I guess
> 
> I struggled with this chapter and lovingly called it 'how the fuck do boys act' in my drafts 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed
> 
> And thanks for the comments and kudos ❤❤


	8. Chapter 8

Eliott sat at the bus stop with his phone in his hand. Idriss and Sofiane had blown up the group chat trying to make plans for the weekend and Eliott was trying to decide whether or not he should bother reading the texts or if he should just ignore them.

 

Idriss was suggesting another basketball game since, according to him, they still had to defeat Imane's team. Eliott didn't really know if he would want to play again, he would much rather just sit this one out and simply watch. So, remembering what Alex had asked him when they had had lunch together, he that it would be a good idea to ask if his friends were willing to have someone else on their team.

 

**Eliott:**

_ What if I asked a friend to take my place in the game? _

 

**Sofiane:**

_ Does he know how to play? _

 

**Eliott:**

_ Better than me, for sure _

 

**Idriss:**

_ Then you will hear no complaints about him taking your place _

 

**Eliott:**

_ I can feel the love _

_ Tell me when the game is going to be so I can text him _

 

He didn't get to see Idriss or Sofiane's answer because the sound of a backpack being dropped next to his feet startled him and made him look up.

 

Lucas was standing there in front of him, one foot on top of his skateboard and the other on the concrete. He had a smile on his face and his hands inside his pockets, a grin that showed he knew he had startled Eliott and was actually proud of it stretching on his lips.

 

"Hello," he greeted.

 

"Couldn't you just have said that before scaring me?" Eliott asked, amused.

 

Well," Lucas pretended to think. "I could have, but where would be the fun in that?"

 

He sat down next to Eliott and took his hands out from his pockets so that he could grab his backpack and take two chocolate bars from it.

 

"Here," he said, offering Eliott one of them. "To apologize for startling you."

 

"Not like you're sorry," Eliott raised an unimpressed eyebrow but grabbed the chocolate anyway.

 

"Where are you going?"Lucas took a bite off of his own chocolate.

 

"Home," Eliott shrugged. "I wanted to go to the park later, but I'm a little too tired for that."

 

"Yeah, I know what you mean," he nodded at his skateboard. "It can be tiring to hear all those kids screaming."

 

"It's a park, Lucas, kids use it to play. What were you expecting?" Eliott laughed.

 

"Peace and quiet," Lucas deadpanned.

 

"And you? Where are you going?" Eliott asked while opening his chocolate bar.

 

"Don't know. I was going home, too, but Mika, one of my roommates, apparently has someone over. If you know what I mean," he wrinkled his nose. "Manon was kind enough to tell me I was better outside the flat for now."

 

Eliott snorted, not envying Lucas' situation but finding it quite amusing nonetheless.

 

"You live with roommates?"

 

"Yeah, two of them. Manon used to live with us too but it was tight fitting and she ended up moving next door."

 

Lucas looked a bit torn about talking about his living situation and Eliott wondered if there was something more behind it and whether he should ask about it or not. In the end, he didn't have to choose because his bus was approaching them quickly and he had to stand up.

 

Eliott looked at Lucas and hesitated before saying goodbye to him. He didn't know if it would be overstepping to ask him if he wanted to come with him, he wasn't really sure if they already were close enough to warrant that invitation. But, the truth was, Eliott just wanted to spend more time with Lucas. And, all in all, he had no problem inviting him to spend time with him in his house. What was the worst that could happen, anyway? Lucas saying no?

 

"Do you want to come with me?" He asked before he could change his mind.

 

"To your house?"

 

"If you want to," Eliott shrugged. "I don't mind."

 

"I don't want to impose," Lucas shook his head.

 

"I wouldn't be inviting you if you were," he assured and added when he saw the bus stop in front of them. "Besides, I want to spend more time with you."

 

Lucas looked up at him through his lashes, eyes alight with curiosity and wonder. Eliott had never seen anything as beautiful before.

 

"Alright then," Lucas smiled.

 

He got up and grabbed both his backpack and skateboard before turning to Eliott with trusting eyes and following him to where the bus' door was opening.

 

***

 

Eliott had never minded having friends over. Sofiane and Idriss and even Alex came over enough times for him to get used to it, but there was something different about this. Opening the door to Lucas wasn't the same thing as opening the door to one of his other friends. And guiding Lucas to his room, with a hand on the small of his back, felt like much more than simply showing a friend the way around his house.

 

He stopped by the kitchen to get something for them to drink and eat and watched, endeared, as Lucas stood on the doorway looking a little out of place. Eliott would make sure that by the time he left today he would feel comfortable enough to want to return.

 

In Eliott's room, he opened the beers that he had brought for them and put them and the snack on top of his desk. Lucas put his skateboard at the corner of Eliott¡s room, right next to where his guitar was resting. Then, he took off his backpack and threw them to Eliott's chair.

 

The sight of the skateboard resting next to his guitar send something warm running down Eliott's body. They had met through those two things and having them in here, in his room, one next to the other, seemed to confirm that Eliott and Lucas had come together and where now closer, were friends and still getting to know each other. Still _interested_.

 

Eliott waited as Lucas looked around his room and absorbed what he saw. He seemed the most interested in the drawings Eliott had on his walls and Eliott had never before felt both this proud and this unguarded at the same time. The drawings were such an important part of him that he felt exposed every time someone saw them.

 

"Did you draw them?" Lucas asked, eyes still full of wonder and curiosity like Eliott loved to see.

 

"Yeah," Eliott nodded, turning to look at the drawings too. "I've been drawing myself for years now."

 

"Yourself?"

 

"The raccoon," Eliott pointed at the drawings. "It's my spirit animal."

 

"Your spirit animal?" He raised an eyebrow as if the words made no sense in his head.

 

"Yes. You know, an animal I identify myself with?" Eliott tensed up, not sure if Lucas was going to find it stupid and want to leave or not.

 

He looked up. Lucas still didn't look too convinced and there was still a slightly confused expression on his face and that worried Eliott. Just a little, though. Because there was also fondness in his eyes and that put a stop to Eliott's worries more than anything else.

 

"And the other animals?"

 

"Friends and family. Sofiane is the quokka and Idriss is the tiger," he explained. "The bear is my mom and the coyote is my dad. The hummingbird is my little cousin. And Alex is the wolf."

 

Lucas seemed pensive, his eyes trained to the drawings with a slightly dazzled expression on his face. The blatant display of how impressed he was by Eliott thinking so deeply about the important people in his life he was showing blew Eliott away. He wasn't expecting Lucas to feel like that about his drawings at all.

 

"What about me?" Lucas said suddenly, eyes darting between the drawings on the wall and Eliott's own eyes, tone a mix of shy and challenging. "How would you draw me?"

 

Eliott turned to look fully at him, all his attention on Lucas and what he had just said. Lucas' question had taken him by surprise. The implication behind it making Eliott's heart beat faster. Lucas wanted Eliott to consider drawing him, wanted to be important enough in Eliott's life to warrant a place on his wall of drawings.

 

And Eliott couldn't help but take in all of the boy in front of him. Couldn't help but look at him from his head to his feet and think about all the small things about Lucas he had discovered in the short time he had known him. Couldn't help but want the same thing Lucas did.

 

Eliott wanted to draw him and put the drawing on his wall, because Lucas was rapidly becoming a very important person in his life.

 

And maybe Eliott already knew how he would be drawing Lucas. He thought back to the basketball game, to the way Lucas had been spiky and defensive but also playful and happy, then, Eliott looked at Lucas' hair again and the image was more than clear in his mind.

 

"I don't know," he said anyway. "I'd have to get to know you better."

 

Lucas raised both his eyebrows mischievously and grabbed his beer before sitting on Eliott's bed. Eliott took a second before following his lead and sitting next to him with his own drink in hand, glad to see that Lucas already seemed more comfortable in his house or, at least, in his room.

 

"So," Lucas started. "On top of being amazing at playing the guitar, you're also talented at drawing?"

 

Eliott felt his face grow hot and he gripped the bottle in his hand tighter. As much as he appreciated getting complimented, he had never really known how to react in the face of one and, getting not one but two compliments in one sentence from Lucas, of all people, seemed like a completely different scenario he had never had to deal with.

 

"I- Thank you," Eliott said, taking a gulp of his beer.

 

Lucas smiled at him.

 

"No need to get flustered. I'm just saying the truth."

 

"Shut up," Eliott grumbled, pushing his arm playfully.

 

Lucas laughed and looked around the room before turning his eyes to Eliott again.

 

"I missed you at the park yesterday."

 

"Did you now?" Eliott looked at him too. "I went shopping with my mom."

 

"I guess I'll forgive you this time then," Lucas teased.

 

They finished their beers among teasing words and casual touches, jumping from topic to topic without focusing too much on anything. It was very laid back and Eliott was happy, if not slightly surprised, to see that he already felt as comfortable with Lucas, who he had met a few weeks ago, as he felt with some of his friends that he had known longer.

 

When they finished their drinks, Eliott took both bottles and put them on top of his desk again.

 

The sight of Lucas, laying on his back on Eliott's bed with his legs dangling from the bottom of it, made Eliott's heart race with the possibility of more afternoons spent like this.

 

"Are you just going to stand there?" Lucas' voice interrupted his musings.

 

Eliott shook his head before moving to his bed and sitting with his back against the headboard, Lucas' head near his knees.

 

"Do you always draw what happens in your life?" Lucas asked.

 

He seemed curious, interested in what Eliott had to say and, although Eliott wasn't sure where this conversation would end up, he couldn't just not answer Lucas.

 

"If it's something that feels important one way or the other, I usually draw it."

 

Lucas turned around in the bed so that he was stomach down, legs kicked up and with his head resting on his hands, facing Eliott.

 

"One way or the other?"

 

Eliott chuckled, looked at his wall and then back at Lucas.

 

"Despite what my walls might say, I don't draw only the good things."

 

Lucas nodded in understanding and, to Eliott's surprise, added.

 

"Do you burn the ones about bad things?"

 

Eliott blinked.

 

"Not really," he shook his head.

 

"Oh," Lucas seemed to hesitate slightly. "It's just that- When I was younger, and even now sometimes, I used to write down what I was feeling and what had happened when I wasn't feeling my best. And then I burned the paper. I- just thought that maybe you could have the same coping mechanism."

 

He fidgeted a little with his hands, looking down at Eliott's bed, looking the most insecure Eliott had ever seen him. Eliott wanted to ease his worries away, take the frown away from his face and stop the thoughts of regret that were surely swirling inside Lucas' head. He knew how hard it was to talk about things that were personal and he felt honoured that Lucas had felt comfortable enough to share with him something that he didn't go around telling just about anyone.

 

"I don't burn them, though sometimes there's nothing I want to do more than that," Eliott said, trying to meet Lucas' eyes, but he wouldn't look up. "But that doesn't mean that I don't do something similar."

 

That seemed to do the trick and Lucas looked back up at Eliott.

 

"What is it that you do?"

 

Eliott sighed, looking him in the eye and considered his options. He could just tell Lucas how he coped and end the conversation there, he knew Lucas wouldn't press for more and they could move onto easier waters, but he wasn't sure if he wanted that. Because he had another option, he could open up to Lucas. He could tell him what he did _and_ explain to him what was behind it, bring the past up and talk about it. And he felt like he could trust Lucas, he felt safe with him.

 

He got up, ignoring Lucas' small surprise noise at the sudden movement, and crouched next to the bed. He reached under it and stopped to stare at Lucas again when his fingers touched the lid of the box he kept there.

 

"I keep all of the drawings about the bad days," he said. "I keep them hidden in this box and never really look at them or share them with anyone."

 

Lucas sat up straighter and Eliott got back on the bed and put the black box between them.

 

"It's not exactly burning," Eliott shrugged. "But I guess it does the same job."

 

Eliott took a breathe and moved to open the box.

 

"You don't have to show me anything," Lucas rushed out, hands flying to grip Eliott's wrists. "It's obviously very private. You don't have to, Eliott."

 

Lucas' eyes met his and Eliott saw how worried he was that Eliott was going to do or say something he didn't actually want to. He could see that Lucas hadn't said anything with the intent to pry into Eliott's life. And that made it for Eliott. He wanted to open up to Lucas, he wanted to talk to him about what haunted him and what made him _Eliott_ , and he knew that Lucas would listen to him.

 

He wasn't exactly sure why he wanted to talk about his feeling all of a sudden, but he knew that it was probably because the person in front of him was Lucas. They hadn't met that long ago, but Eliott wanted to learn things about Lucas and let Lucas learn things about himself. It was a desire he couldn't quite explain, but it was there and it felt _right_ and Eliott wouldn't let it get away.

 

Eliott smiled reassuringly at Lucas and released his hands from his grip.

 

"It's alright," he said. "I've learned that sometimes it's good to talk," he made eye contact with Lucas to show he was serious before adding. "Some people are worth opening up to."

 

Lucas seemed to be reassured by that, his hands dropped to his thighs and he licked his lips, eyes never leaving Eliott's.

 

"Am I one of those people?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

 

"You are," Eliott said simply.

 

Lucas shuddered, his breath coming out shaky. An expression of disbelief appeared on his face for a fleeting moment, betraying how shocked he seemed to be that Eliott could think about him that way.

 

Instead of saying anything else to reassure Lucas that he was indeed the kind of person Eliott wanted to get to know and let into his life, he simply took the lid off of the black box and searched for the right drawings to start telling Lucas his story.

 

The first drawing he took off of the box was that of a little kid looking from the outside as four other kids played football together. Eliott smiled sadly down at it and caressed the paper with his thumb.

 

"I didn't always draw people as their spirit animal," Eliott said. "That started later. Before, I actually used to draw the human figure as it is. Not that I was ever as good at drawing people as I am at drawing animals."

 

"Why is this drawing in the box?" Lucas asked, voice soft and serious.

 

Once again, Lucas said exactly the words Eliott needed to hear. A simple question, but the words that showed that he understood Eliott and wanted to know more. The words that only came to confirm that Lucas was exactly the person Eliott by his side.

 

"When I drew that, I was feeling alone," he explained. "The other kids are Sofiane, Idriss and two other guys who I haven't seen in forever. We were always playing together, but, at one point, I started feeling like I was just there. Outside, looking in, you know? I was probably about eleven?" Eliott shook his head, unsure about the actual age or date. "It was when things started going downhill for me."

 

Eliott took a breath, lost in the memories of the times when he felt like an outsider in his own life. He knew now that it was all in his head, but it still had felt real at the time and it had marked him enough to put on paper.

 

He wished he could say that things went better for him after that, but, the truth was, the box in front of him had many more drawings inside and that was enough to prove that things hadn't really gotten easier. On the contrary, in fact.

 

"Things only got worse after that," he said. "That's when I started drawing the spirit animals."

 

He paused, grabbing the one he wanted to show Lucas next.

 

"We learned about animals in class when I was twelve. It kind of made me go on a spiral of research. I wanted to know everything about them and then I stumbled upon the words 'spirit animal'," he told Lucas. "And then I did some research on that, too. Gave spirit animals to myself and to the people who were important to me."

 

He gave the drawing to Lucas. Little raccoon ears peaking from the top of a stone wall.

 

"I felt like I couldn't really talk to anyone or trust anyone at the time. It was as if there was something separating me from the rest of the world. And, by shutting everyone out, I felt a little bit safer. It was just me," he pointed to the drawing. "Me and my wall."

 

"Eliott…" Lucas breathed out, sounding unsure about what he should say.

 

Eliott just smiled at him and shook his head, reaching out to squeeze one of Lucas' hands in reassurance. He didn't need him to say anything. Having him there, listening and showing interest in knowing this part of Eliott meant more to him than any words ever could.

 

"It's alright," he said just to make sure Lucas knew.

 

He reached for the next drawing and hesitated. This was when, ironically since it had been such a dark time in his life, things really became clear. If he shared this with Lucas now, there would be no going back, no _hiding_.

 

One look at Lucas' open, tender, supportive expression was all it took to ease Eliott's worries.

 

"When I was thirteen, I went through one of the worst periods in my life."

 

He heard Lucas gasp, a sound that showed his fear and worry about what Eliott was about to tell him. It warmed Eliott up to know that he cared enough despite the small amount of time they had known each other, to sit through this conversation and listen to it with interest and worry and just _care_.

 

He gave him the drawing. A raccoon hidden behind way too many lines scattered around, frantic and uneven and chaotic. His mind had been a mess and that had been the only way to properly show it on the paper.

 

"Things didn't make sense. I spent weeks feeling amazing and then, all of sudden, I just wanted to lay in bed and sleep. I didn't understand what was happening and the confusion only made everything worse, because I understood that it wasn't natural to feel like that, not to that extent at least," he sighed, eyes shifting to the wall and becoming unfocused. "Eventually, after a week of almost no sleep at all and spending every hour researching, followed by a week when I just wanted to sleep, my parents took me to a professional."

 

Lucas seemed to be on the edge of his seat, ready to know and take in whatever Eliott was going to tell him.

 

Eliott looked into Lucas' eyes again. Yes, it was easier to open up when he was staring at a wall, but a wall was nothing when compared to Lucas' eyes. With his eyes locked on Lucas', Eliott found the courage he needed to say what he never really told that many people, the part of him he preferred to keep hidden most of the time.

 

"I'm bipolar."

 

There was a beat of silence. Lucas blinked at him, inclined his head to one side with a thoughtful look in his eyes. And then he smiled, a small smile that made the tension that had settled on Eliott's shoulders dissipate.

 

Lucas wasn't leaving. He wasn't running for the hills and never talking to him anymore. He was still here.

 

Lucas shifted the box to one side so that he could move closer to Eliott. He kneed in front of him, sitting on his heels and looking at Eliott with a soft look on his face that gave him the confidence to continue.

 

"Sometimes it's not easy to deal with me," Eliott said. "There's times when I can't leave my bed and times when I'm overhyper and will do anything. Sometimes I cry and scream and yell for no reason. I'm always afraid that I will hurt someone I care about without meaning to. It's quite hard a lot of the time."

 

"Thank you for telling me," Lucas raised a hand to rest on Eliott's cheek. "I'm sure it wasn't easy."

 

Eliott licked his lips, mouth suddenly dry.

 

"I- Not that many people know."

 

Lucas lowered his head a little, a signal of reverence that no one had ever shown Eliott.

 

"I feel honoured, then."

 

Eliott felt a blush creeping up his cheeks at Lucas' words and his intense stare. It seemed he was looking straight into Eliott's soul and make sure every last part of Eliott knew he was there, proud and happy and _enamoured_. That was one word Eliott had never expected to use to describe the way someone stared at him, but it was the only one that seemed to fit properly the depth of Lucas' eyes.

 

"I started playing guitar around that time. Music always helped ground me a little, in a way, and I told my therapist that once. She told me that maybe actually making music could be great for me and to try it out," he smiled. "I did and it was the best thing I could have done. I haven't stopped since."

 

"I'm glad you did," Lucas whispered in the space between them, thumb caressing Eliott's cheek. "You're amazing and that was what mesmerized me about you in the first place."

 

Eliott bit his lip. Lucas felt the same, he was sure of it. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and he never wanted Lucas to leave his bed, never really wanted him to be farther away from him than he was right now. And he wanted to make sure Lucas knew that. So, he leaned in a little, Lucas' hand falling from his cheek to the side of his neck and kissed Lucas' cheek gently, feeling it warm up against his lips with Lucas' blush.

 

"I'm mesmerized by you too," he breathed out, lips still touching Lucas' skin.

 

He felt Lucas' answering shudder and leaned back again to look at his face. He was blushing, but there was a happy smile on his face and Eliott felt his lips stretch into an answering grin. This was all Eliott wanted.

 

Then, still wanting Lucas to know more, Eliott showed him other drawings he found important to the story he was trying to tell. Images of raccons, mostly alone or clearly separated from quokkas, tigers, bears and coyotes. Pictures of loneliness, sadness and helplessness. Reaching low lows, coming up for air and breathing only to go down again and almost suffocate in chaotic thoughts. A raccoon, smaller than ever before, looking at an intimately big building, failing school having taken its toll on him. The aftermath of that, with the months of blame and guilt and disappointment and then breathing again like resurfacing.

 

When Eliott finished his story, the box was sitting on the floor and Eliott and Lucas were laying on the bed, side by side.

 

"I'm really happy that you told me so much about yourself," Lucas said, turning his head to stare at the side of Eliott's face. "I'm serious. It means a lot that you trusted me enough to tell me these personal things."

 

"You're an easy person to trust," Eliott turned his head too. "And I did want to trust you. I want to get to know you. And I want you to get to know me; all of me. Even the shitty parts."

 

Lucas shook his head and turned on his side so his whole body was facing Eliott.

 

"There's nothing shitty about you, Eliott."

 

Eliott sighed, happiness and peace coursing through his veins and leaving a warm trail behind. He felt so at ease and so relaxed with Lucas laying next to him as if nothing could touch him or hurt him. As if he was exactly where he should be, where he belonged. He reached down and grabbed Lucas' hand, squeezing it.

 

"Thank you for listening to me-" Eliott started saying but Lucas interrupted him.

 

"Don't thank me. You deserve to be listened to. And besides," he grinned. "I also want to know everything about you, Eliott."

 

He breathed out his name like it was too precious to be said any louder or any less carefully. And then he leaned in and kissed his forehead, Eliott felt his smile on his skin and exhaled, his breath hitting Lucas' neck and making him shiver slightly.

 

Eliott never wanted this moment to end. He never wanted to let go of Lucas, but he knew, logically, that he would eventually have to, since the afternoon would turn into night. So, he just reached out, wrapped his arms around Lucas and brought him closer to him. Felt Lucas hug him back and kiss his collarbone softly, gentle lips and gentle breath.

 

And he didn't let go until Lucas' phone vibrated and he had to leave and, even then, it was a struggle unwrap his arms from around him.

 

After Lucas left, Eliott sat at his desk with the smell of Lucas' cologne clinging slightly to his hoodie and started drawing.

 

He drew a hedgehog for the first time. Drew him skating and then drew him lying on Eliott's bed. Drew him as he saw Lucas, small, cute, but fierce and passionate and surprising. And, at the end of the night, Eliott hung those drawing on his wall, let his hedgehog join all the other animals that were already there.

 

Let the drawings join the representation of the people who were the most important to Eliott.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is almost ending and I can't believe it.
> 
> I know, I know we are all waiting for the moment that kiss happens but I wanted them to talk about some important things before that.
> 
> This chapter was lovingly called 'how to open up about feelings' in my drafts because the writer doesn't really know what she's doing most of the time
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for the kudos and comments, they make my day
> 
> Hope you enjoyed ❤


	9. Chapter 9

Friday night after dinner, Eliott decided to catch up on a tv show he had had to stop following when his tests had started and school work had been piling up.

He laid in bed with a blanket over him and his laptop in front of him, head in a pillow that smelt slightly of Lucas' shampoo and just watched it without thinking about anything else at all. A chill night was exactly what Eliott had been in need of lately.

When the tv show ended, it wasn't even midnight and therefore, it was still too early for Eliott to go to sleep. So, he picked up the book he had been reading for some weeks now and settled in bed again to read at least some chapters. He hadn't expected for it to be so compelling that he wasn't able to put it down until he reached the end, though. And, by that time, it was already way past 2am.

He put on his pyjamas and brushed his teeth quickly, sleep catching up with him. Then, he turned off the lights to finally go to sleep.

He laid in bed under the covers and sighed when he felt all his muscles relax. His eyes closed, but, instead of sleep taking over him, the thoughts of Lucas that were inside of him, the memories and fantasies invaded him.

The small stripe of moonlight coming from the window hit the drawing Eliott had put up on the wall earlier and his eyes following it, not able to look away from the hedgehog. Everything was making him think of Lucas, the drawing, the smell on his pillow, the feelings that were still lingering on his body, and he wasn't able to fall asleep.

In an impulsive movement, Eliott reached out and grabbed his phone from the nightstand. It was late and Lucas was probably already asleep by now, but Eliott wouldn't feel right if, after their afternoon together, he didn't send a goodnight message at the very least. He knew he didn't have to do it, but he still felt this desire within him to send something, say something, connect with Lucas one last time before going to sleep.

**To Lucas:**

_Goodnight!_

He pondered whether or not to add a heart emoji at the end, he wasn't sure if he wanted to be completely straightforward or not. He didn't want to come off too strongly in case that made Lucas feel uncomfortable in any way.

But then he thought back to their afternoon, he remembered the look on Lucas' face when they had talked, remembered his soft eyes and reassuring presence. And, really, there was no reason why he should feel insecure about sending Lucas a heart emoji. There was no reason to feel insecure about being straightforward. So, he added the little heart to the end of his message and sent it without dwelling on it anymore.

To his surprise, an answer came through not even one minute later. Eliott supposed that he shouldn't be too shocked that Lucas was awake at this time of the night. It's not something completely unusual for people and he was awake too, after all. Despite that, it did feel incredibly nice to have Lucas answer him in the middle of the night. It made Eliott feel closer to him even though they were each at their own house.

**From Lucas:**

_Goodnight Eliott ❤️_

Eliott couldn't keep the giddy smile that appeared on his face while reading the text. He locked his phone and brought it to his chest, sighing in content and closing his eyes in happiness. He felt a certain disbelief at the way Lucas could make him feel with just a goodnight text; such a simple gesture from Lucas made him feel more than anyone ever had before. And it felt great. It felt amazing to have someone on his mind right before going to sleep and it felt even better to know that he was probably on Lucas' mind too.

With that, Eliott was finally able to put his phone down on the nightstand and sleep. He felt warm with the sheets and blanket around him, but the physical warmth couldn't compare to the warmth he felt inside at the mere memory of Lucas' arms around him just hours before.

***

Confusion was the first thing Eliott felt when he woke up on Saturday morning. That, and tiredness. He felt like he had only slept a few hours, entirely too little to have rested properly.

It didn't register right away that what had woken him up had been his phone ringing with a new text. Eliott groaned, sleepy and tired, ready to ignore it and go back to sleep. It was Saturday morning and what could be so important that that would warrant him leaving his bed when he had only slept for a few hours? Nothing.

He was almost asleep again when his phone buzzed and rang again, twice and then one more time. Whoever was texting him was being awfully stubborn.

He huffed and buried his face in the pillow before stretching his arm and grabbing his phone from the nightstand, ready to tell whichever one of his friends that had decided this was a good idea to go annoy someone else.

He rubbed his eyes to get the bleariness caused by sleep from them and felt a sudden need to scream build up inside of him when the number 7:13 glared at him from his screen. Way too early.

The idea of telling whoever it was that had been texting him to go annoy someone else, however, flew out the window when he saw the name Lucas at the top of his notifications. There was actually something, someone, more important than sleep.

Eliott blinked. He knew Lucas had gone to sleep as late as he did, at least, so, what was he doing awake already? The truth was, Eliott couldn't tell Lucas to fuck off, not Lucas. He opened the messages and frowned at the words.

**From Lucas:**

_Do you want to hang out?_

That was the text that had woken up Eliott, the three next ones had come through just two minutes afterwards.

**From Lucas:**

_Fuck I don't even know if you're awake_

_Sorry_

_Shit I'll stop now_

Despite himself, Eliott could feel a fond smile appearing on his face. Lucas was an idiot, there was no way around it. Not when he kept texting Eliott after probably realizing how early it was, only so that he could apologize for the mistake he kept repeating.

A small part of himself was rolling its eyes and telling him he was so whipped that he wasn't even mad about being awakened anymore. He wanted to disagree with that part of himself, but he really couldn't since it was the truth. If it had been anyone else texting him, Eliott would have been mad and he would have sent an unamused text back before going back to sleep. But it was Lucas and Eliott didn't only not feel mad, but he also knew that there was no way he would be sending an unamused text or even go back to sleep when Lucas wants to hang out with him.

**To Lucas:**

_Good morning to you too_

_I was sleeping yes, but now I'm awake thanks to you_

_Do you still want to hang out?_

He held the blankets tighter around himself and bit the fingernail of his thumb while he waited for an answer. It was stupid to be this nervous to ask Lucas if he still wanted to hang out when the other boy had been the one reaching now just mere moments ago. Eliott knew that, but he couldn't help himself.

**From Lucas:**

_I'm so sorry for waking you up_

_I still want to but if you still want to sleep don't worry_

Eliott shook his head with a smile. Lucas might be an idiot, but he was sweet as hell and Eliott would be lying through his teeth if he said he didn't like it and didn't want to see more of it. He would even be lying if he said he would mind waking up every day at 7am if it was with a text from Lucas.

**To Lucas:**

_Don't worry Lucas, it's fine_

_And where do you want to meet?_

**From Lucas:**

_The café we went to the other day?_

_I'll pay you breakfast as an apology for waking you up_

**To Lucas:**

_It's a deal then_

_I'll be there in 30_

Eliott put his phone down on the nightstand again and buried himself in the bed for a few more minutes. The bed was still very comfortable and inviting and he still wanted to sleep some more, but he knew Lucas would be waiting for him and he didn't want to leave him waiting. Being with Lucas seemed even better than staying in bed, anyway.

He yawned and stretched his arms and legs before throwing the blankets off of himself and getting up. The floor was cold beneath his feet and he had made the mistake of leaving the window open, making the whole room a bit too cold now. He hurried to get some clothes and almost ran to the bathroom to take a warm shower.

He tried to be fast in there so that he wouldn't leave Lucas waiting for too long. And also because he wanted to be with him as soon as possible, even if they had been together for the whole afternoon just the day before. He had had fun and he had loved spending time with him so much that now he just wanted more.

When he left the bathroom, showered, with his teeth brushed and dressed, he quickly went to his room to get his phone, his wallet and his jacket before going down the stairs, ready to leave.

When he got downstairs, however, his mom was already in the kitchen, looking through the door with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him.

"Good morning," she said, surprised that he was ready to go outside early on a Saturday morning.

Unlike himself, it wasn't unusual to see her awake this early. She was an early bird and had stated on multiple occasions that her favourite part of the day was the morning.

"Morning," he said, moving to kiss the top of her head.

"Where are you going so early on a Saturday morning?" She asked.

"I'm meeting a friend for breakfast."

"A friend…" she nodded, a playful look in her eyes while she took a sip of her cup. "Might it be the friend you and your dad were talking about the other day?"

Things between his parents had lightened up a little during the past days. They were still far from perfect, there was still some unsolved business, but they had talked to each other and Eliott was very glad for that. He didn't know how long it would last, but he had faith that it would be for a longer period than the last time they had had a fallout.

"It is him," Eliott laughed. "How did you know?"

"You wouldn't get up this early with that smile on your face for just anyone."

Eliott nodded. It was true and his mother knew him better than anyone. It really wasn't that surprising that she would have guessed who he was going to be meeting up.

"Can't say you're wrong."

"You better go, then. I don't want you to keep your boy waiting."

"Not my boy yet," was what Eliott said with a wink before kissing her cheek and leaving the kitchen to put his sneakers on and go meet Lucas.

***

Eliott got to the coffee shop almost on time. In his defence, he had arrived only five minutes after he said he would and it had only happened because there had been a little girl walking her puppy on his street and he hadn't been able to stop himself from bending down a petting it for a little. Now, he just hoped that Lucas was still at the café and that he wasn't annoyed that he had had to wait.

"Sorry I took so long," was the first thing Eliott said when he sat at the table where Lucas already was.

He was wearing a grey hoodie and a dark blue jacket over it. He looked great, beautiful, and Eliott never wanted to stop looking at him.

"It's alright. I didn't wait that long," Lucas shrugged. "And, anyway, I should be the one apologizing for waking you up."

"You already apologized for that," Eliott waved him off.

A waiter came to ask for their requests then. They asked for two croissants and two cups of coffee and the guy wrote it down before departing with a smile and a promise to be quick.

"What were you doing up so early, anyway?" Eliott turned to Lucas.

"I-" he seemed to hesitate slightly before talking. "I have insomnia. That's why I go to the park so early in the morning or so late at night most of the time. I couldn't sleep today and I left the house like all the other days."

Eliott nodded, worried about Lucas. He had been so distracted with everything else about Lucas before that he had never really noticed the small dark circles under his eyes and he was more than sorry for that. There was no way of going back now, though, and Eliott would make sure that he was there for Lucas and would support him through anything from now on. And that he would pay more attention.

"I did go to the park like I usually do," Lucas continued, eyes directly on Eliott's now. "But then I couldn't stop thinking of you. I wanted to see you again. I didn't even notice the time and just texted you."

Eliott shifted his eyes to the table for a second, a smile spreading on his face. The way Lucas was speaking, soft and gentle and careful, was doing things to Eliott's heart and he wanted to reach across the table and just hold him.

"I usually don't like when people wake me up too early," Eliott said, smile widening when he saw the slightly panicked look that was starting to appear on Lucas' face. "But, I must say, I don't mind waking up at ridiculous hours in the morning as long as it's by you."

The panicked frown on Lucas' face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Eliott heard him take in a sharp intake of breath and gulp, looking as affected by the conversation as Eliott was feeling.

The waiter came back with their breakfast and the two of them averted their eyes from each other to thank him before going back to interlocking their gazes. It was almost as if it was impossible to look away, as if a spell had hit and had made them unable to spend too long without staring into each other's eyes. There was nowhere else Eliott would rather be looking at.

"Why do you prefer going outside when you can't sleep, though?" Eliott asked, curious.

"Well, one of my roommates snores and I never really know at what time they will be awake. And, after a sleepless night, I always prefer to be alone," he paused to smile at Eliott. "Or with very specific people."

"Just so you know, I'm always willing to text or call or even meet up if you can't sleep."

"We don't need to both have a sleepless night, Eliott. And I have some medication now, it's not nearly as bad as it was before."

Eliott hesitated, not sure if he should ask what he wanted to ask if it would be overstepping. Lucas seemed to notice his uncertainty, though and he was quick to reassure him.

"You can ask me anything, Eliott," he reached out with the hand that wasn't holding his cup to hold Eliott's.

"How bad was it before?"

"Awful," he licked his lips before continuing talking. "I was very stressed and anxious about a lot of things. It wasn't a great time and my already bad sleeping schedule suffered from it. It got to the point where it took me hours to fall asleep, then I slept for like two and couldn't sleep anymore."

"I'm glad things are better now."

"They definitely are," Lucas looked at him, seemingly considering something. "At that time, things in my family weren't going well and then there was the pressure of school and I was just starting to come to terms with liking boys. It was everything at the same time and it was a very stressful time for me. "

Eliott sat up straighter, recognizing that Lucas was opening up to him and sharing little parts of himself with him. Lucas took a sip of his coffee and a bite off of his croissant before talking again.

"My mother has a mental illness, she thinks that it's the apocalypse and that Jesus sent her to save us all. It was hard and she was getting worse and then my father left us. That took its toll on her and she got even worse. It took its toll on me too because both those things just fell on me," he sighed. "There was a while when I blamed both of them for everything. I didn't talk to my mom and I avoided any kind of contact with my father as much as possible. Now, though, I go visit my mom a lot more times and my relationship with her is way better. With my dad, things are still very strained, but I don't think I really care anymore."

"I had no idea," Eliot breathed out, moving their hands so their fingers were intertwined and he could squeeze Lucas' hand.

Lucas just chuckled with a small, fond eye roll.

"How would you know? I had never told you before."

"Thank you for telling me."

Lucas just smiled and shrugged as if it wasn't all that important when, in reality, it meant the world to Eliott.

"Some people are worth opening up to."

Eliott recognized the sentence as the one he had said just the day before when their roles were reversed. He felt a shiver at the thought that Lucas listened to him so attentively that he had kept that sentence with him since then and squeezed his hand again.

"And that's why I'm living in a flat share and sometimes feel the need to leave the house," he joked.

"My door is always open for you."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, but the smile on his face showed how much Eliott saying that meant to him.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said softly.

He let go of Eliott's hand so both of them could go back to eating properly. To compensate for the lost contact though, he stretched one leg and hooked his foot around Eliott's leg, making sure they wouldn't stop touching.

"I'll have to introduce you to my parents soon, too," Eliott told him. "They've been asking."

"Talked about me, did you?"

"They didn't give me much of a choice. My dad saw me with you and wanted to know who you were. And I couldn't really keep myself from talking about you. Now, they want to meet the guy who stole their son's heart."

Eliott smirked as Lucas almost choked on his coffee. He hadn't even thought about saying that, but it had left his mouth without his permission and, in the face of Lucas' reaction, Eliott didn't mind at all.

"I-" he cleared his throat, voice a little higher pitched than usual. "I stole your heart?"

"As if you didn't already know, Lucas."

Lucas' face blushed, a red tint that made Eliott's blood rush with the desire to make it appear more times. But there was a confident light in his eyes that revealed the awareness of each other's feelings.

"It's always good to hear the words," was what he said.

They didn't say much more while they finished eating, their hearts as warm as their coffees. Their eyes were communicating enough. The fond, the softness, the curiosity, the longing and the desire. They were saying it all and, now, it was only a matter of time before Eliott and Lucas acted upon all those feelings. _And just let go._

***

After they had finished their breakfast and paid, the two of them left the café, not really knowing what they would be doing next but knowing they wanted to spend more time together. Eliott reached out and grabbed Lucas' right hand, not thinking much about it now. It felt right and like second nature and Eliott would be damned if he stopped himself from any of this.

"Should we go to the park?" Lucas asked.

His skateboard was under his left arm and he was looking up at Eliott with a smile on his face and way more energy than he should have based on his lack of sleep. He looked cute and Eliott didn't know when he would be able to stop looking at him, if he would be able to stop looking at him.

"Let's just go to my house so I can grab my guitar and then we can go."

Lucas nodded.

"Ok. I do want to listen to you play."

Eliott laughed and tugged Lucas along by the hand. They almost ran through the streets, giddy with the feeling of being together, hands interlocked and loud laughs.

Being with Lucas and just spending time with him truly was what Eliott wanted to be doing for a long, long time. Spending time with Lucas felt natural like breathing; it felt freeing like swimming did. And Eliot had found a safe space among those feelings and, now, he didn't think he could ever let go of them.

"Do you want to come in?" He asked when they got to his house.

Lucas nodded and the two of them got inside the house, only let go of each other's hands so Eliott could search his pockets for the key and open the door.

"Eliott?" His mother called from inside the house when she heard him open the door.

He smiled a Lucas who looked a little startled as if he had forgotten the possibility of someone else being in the house, and grabbed his hand again so he could pull him to the living room where his mother was watching tv.

"Mom," he called.

She looked up at him and her smile widened when she saw the boy that was holding hands with her son. Lucas looked shy and careful, he was shuffling slightly on his feet and looking down, his palm sweaty against Eliott's.

"This is Lucas," Eliott introduced him.

"It's good to meet you, Lucas," she said gently, trying to ease the boy's nerves away. "I've heard a lot about you."

"It's good to meet you, too."

"I'm going to get my guitar and I'll be right back," Eliott told his mom.

He wasn't sure if he should go to his room and leave Lucas with his mom so soon. He didn't want Lucas to feel completely uncomfortable, but he knew that she wanted to talk to him and get to know him and, if things between them were going to work, then Eliott wanted Lucas to feel good with everyone in his family. And why not start now with this?

"I'll be right back," he repeated, this time looking at Lucas who seemed almost afraid.

Eliott smiled reassuringly at him and bent down to kiss his cheek, wanting to make sure he knew that he would be fine.

He left the living room, hearing his mother tell Lucas to sit and make himself feel at home. He knew she had it handled and that she would make sure Lucas was comfortable, so he hurried to his room.

He took a little longer in there than he usually would, wanting to give his mother and Lucas a chance to talk and get to know each other a little bit better. Therefore, only after some minutes, did he grab his guitar and music sheets and left the room.

Lucas was now sitting on the couch next to his mother. There was still a little flush to his cheeks, but he looked more comfortable and he was smiling. They had been saying something, but Eliott's arrival interrupted them. He felt almost tempted to say he had forgotten something just to leave them to talk again, since it seemed they were getting along well. But then Lucas smiled brightly at him and, selfishly, Eliott just wanted to be alone with him again.

“Should we go now?” He asked.

His mother smiled at him, an approving glint in her eyes that showed that she had liked Lucas and that she wanted to see more of him. Eliott felt relief course through him at that, not wanting anything more than to see all the important people in his life getting along with each other.

Lucas nodded and got up, walking up to Eliott and letting him wrap his arm around his shoulders.

“I'll see you soon, Lucas,” Eliott's mother said, still gentle.

“Definitely,” Lucas smiled at her and then looked up at Eliott, the smile widening and his eyes warming up even more.

“Bye, mom,” Eliott said, willing himself to take his eyes off of Lucas.

She smiled fondly at them and waved before they turned around and left the house.

“Your mom invited me for lunch tomorrow,” Lucas said when they started walking on the sidewalk, Eliott's arm still around his shoulders.

“She liked you.”

“I'm glad. Things would be harder if she didn't.”

“What things?” Eliott asked teasingly, hand sliding up and down Lucas’ upper arm.

“Me dating you.”

Eliott raised an eyebrow.

“Since when are we dating?”

“Technically since our date,” Lucas said without missing a beat. “But, if you want to be formal about it, then…”

He interrupted himself and stopped both of them before Eliott could keep walking. He rested both his hands on Eliott's shoulders and raised on his tiptoes so he could rest his forehead against Eliott's.

“Eliott,” he breathed out. “Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Eliott's breath faltered, eyes widened and his mouth opened a little. He hadn't been expecting this, not at all, not even a little. He was just teasing Lucas like he loved doing and now… now, Lucas was asking him to be his boyfriend and he couldn't believe it. Lucas was actually in front of him, hands gripping Eliott's shoulders, his forehead against Eliott's, eyes bright and honest and he wanted to be Eliott's boyfriend. And Eliott wanted nothing more than that.

"Lucas," he felt himself grin and leaned in to rub his nose against Lucas'. "Of course, I do."

Their voices were soft and low, no one outside their little bubble needing to hear what they were saying. But their smiles were loud and bright and they didn't care who saw them. They were happy and they were together. Truly together.

"There you have your formality…" Lucas laughed. "Boyfriend."

Lucas leaned in to kiss the corner of Eliott's mouth and Eliott raised his hands to touch his neck gently and caressed the skin with his thumbs. There was nowhere else he would rather be than right here, in this sidewalk, with Lucas in his arms and his breath grazing his face with every murmured word.

Nowhere he would rather than with his _boyfriend_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got out of hand and at this point I'm not even surprised. What I wanted to happen didn't happen but I can't say I'm mad with the result.
> 
> Btw, this fic might have 11 chapters instead of 10, I'm still seeing which way will work best but it's a possibility. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it ❤


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a mistake last chapter and wrote "My mom invited me for lunch" instead of "Your mom invited me for lunch" because I'm an idiot.
> 
> So, Eliott's mom invited Lucas for lunch.
> 
> Just wanted to clarify.

The sun was shining brightly and warmly when Lucas and Eliott got to the park. There were lot of kids running around, playing catch and hide and seek, yelling and laughing loudly. A little too many kids for their liking, but it wasn't as if they could do anything about it.

 

The two of them had been holding hands the whole way there, always keeping each other close and just not wanting to stop touching. They liked each other and they had only now started dating, it was normal for them to want to be as close as possible to each other and for as long as possible. Lucas’ hand was warm and a little rough against Eliott's and he never wanted to let go of it.

 

Now, however, they were at the park and they finally let go of each other's hands. Just momentarily.

 

Lucas put his skateboard on the floor before stepping in front of Eliott and going back to holding his hand, both of them this time.

 

"I wanna see you skate," he said enthusiastically.

 

“I don't know how to skate," Eliott shook his head. "You already know that."

 

"No, I don't."

 

"I told you before that when I tried to skate I just ended up embarrassing myself."

 

"Yeah, well, you told me that," Luas shrugged. "I haven't actually seen it with my own two eyes."

 

"You just want to see me fall on my ass, don't you?"

 

"Hmmm…," he pretended to think. "Maybe."

 

He winked at Eliott, making him roll his eyes fondly and raise a hand to mess up Lucas' hair, laughing.

 

"Come on, Eliott," Lucas whined a little, trying every trick to make his boyfriend give in.

 

"Lucas, I don't want to give you an excuse to dump me minutes after we started dating."

 

Lucas scoffed, looking particularly offended that Eliott thought it was even a possibility for Lucas to dump him.

 

"As if. I'm not going to break up with you because you can't skate. Now, you stop making excuses and give me your hands so I can help you."

 

Eliott raised an eyebrow, amused at Lucas' no bullshit, bossy tone and leaned in to press a quick kiss against his cheek.

 

"Can I at least put my guitar down first?"

 

Lucas simply nodded, his eyes still looking determined and following Eliott's every move as if afraid he would run away the first chance he got. Eliott chuckled at that, propping his guitar against a tree near them. They wouldn't be venturing into the skate park just yet, or for as long as Eliott was the one on the skate. He went back to Lucas who carelessly took off his jacket and threw it at the tree where Eliott's guitar was, smiling triumphantly when it landed right next to it.

 

Eliott watched his face light up with a child like pride and couldn't help the endearment bubbling up inside of him. Lucas had a light around him that Eliott had never seen in anyone before and he planned on learning more about it, where it began and where it became overshadowed.

 

"Come here," Lucas said, interrupting Eliott's thoughts.

 

He had one foot on top of his skateboard and his hands outstretched waiting for Eliott to grab a hold of them. Eliott had to admit that the prospect of holding Lucas' hands and having him guiding him through the park was almost enough to make him overlook his lack of talent for skating and just not care about it. Almost, because he really didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Lucas.

 

Lucas got fed up with Eliott's hesitancy though, and leaned forward to grab a hold of his hands, not letting him overthink anything even more than he had already done. Lucas pulled him closer and waited for Eliott to put one foot on top of the skateboard to step back.

 

"Come on," Lucas said. "Ride it with one foot on the floor for now. I just want you to get used to be on top of it. I'm not expecting you to be a professional right away," he added when he saw the doubtful look on Eliott's face.

 

Eliott took a deep breath, willing himself to go forward with this and to stop being so afraid of something that wasn't even that scary. He knew he didn't have to do it and Lucas would never force him to do anything he didn't want to, but Eliott did want to skate, he had wanted to do it for so long even when he already knew he was crap. So, it was really stupid to get so worked up and scared about something as dumb as skateboarding.

 

Shaking his head at himself and his insecurities, Eliott let go of one of Lucas' hands so he could position himself in front of the skateboard, left foot on top of the it and the right one on the floor. The hand that was still holding Lucas' tightened its grip on it and Eliott looked at him for support. Apparently, knowing what Eliott needed, Lucas nodded encouragingly at him.

 

With his confidence rising a little, Eliott looked down at the skateboard and the pavement and carefully made it slide a little, startling slightly at the speed the skateboard seemed to want to go in.

 

"Right," Lucas said amused, his left hand going up to steady Eliott. "It tends to go faster than you expect it to at the beginning."

 

"Thanks for telling me," Eliott grumbled.

 

Lucas chuckled and helped Eliott go forward without falling or having a heart attack. Eliott had to admit that with Lucas there to support him and after a little getting used to, skateboarding wasn't that bad. Or at least, it wasn't bad for someone who was just walking with a foot on top of the skateboard, Eliott couldn't really consider what he was doing skateboarding.

 

After some minutes of that, Lucas started walking a little quicker, pulling Eliott along by the hand that he was still holding and Eliott regretted all the previous thoughts about skateboarding not being that bad.

 

All of a sudden, Eliott felt like he was going to fall. His eyes widened comically and he reached out with both arms, afraid of bumping into something. 

 

Lucas had unexpectedly let go of his hand and, judging by the laughter coming from behind Eliott, it had been done entirely on purpose just to annoy him. Even with one foot on the floor, before he could stop the skate, Eliott felt very unsteady, like he was going to actually fall at any second and he kind if wanted to question Lucas’ intentions when he asked him to skate.

 

"Lucas!" He yelled out, annoyed while trying to control his racing heart.

 

Lucas hurried to get to where he had stopped, an amused smile still playing on his lips and he rested a hand on Eliott's arm, rubbing it gently.

 

"You alright?" He asked, looking like he could start laughing any second now.

 

"Fuck you," Eliott rolled his eyes, starting to see the amusement now that his heart had slowed down and he wasn't shaking anymore.

 

"Do you want to try to ride it with two feet now?"

 

"Don't think so, thanks."

 

"Just once," Lucas encouraged, looking almost pleadingly at him. "I won't let go of you this time."

 

Eliott raised an eyebrow.

 

"You better not. If I die while skating, I will be haunting your ass for years."

 

"Can't say I would mind too much," Lucas said while grabbing Eliott by the waist and pulling him closer to himself and the skateboard on the floor. "I like your company."

 

"I wouldn't make life easy for you," Eliott grumbled, but raised his arms anyway in order to grab Lucas' shoulders.

 

Lucas helped him get on top of the skateboard without falling, seemingly not minding technicalities and the right way to skate and just wanting to see Eliott do it for a little. Eliott prepared himself for the shift in balance for when he first got on top of the skateboard and tightened his grip on Lucas' shoulders when it still startled him.

 

"This is the last time you will see me on top of one of these things," he mumbled, making Lucas shake his head with a laugh. 

 

"Then I better enjoy it properly."

 

With his hands still on Eliott's waist, Lucas moved him slightly, guiding him and the skateboard some meters forward. They didn't go far, Eliott's fingers digging a little too painfully into Lucas' shoulders which were shaking with the effort he was making not to laugh.

 

Despite himself and the near death experience that skateboarding felt like, Eliott couldn't help but not mind anything too much, not when he could see Lucas looking so bright and happy.

 

***

 

Lucas had managed to convince Eliott to skate for a little longer, they had wandered around the park, taking turns on the skateboard - at Lucas' insistence. Eliott was still more than insecure on top of the skateboard, but at least, after some minutes of it, he stopped feeling like he would fall and got used to the difference in balance. 

 

When it was his turn to skate though, Lucas made sure to put on a show. He skated fast and precise, not being afraid to show off some tricks and grinning playfully at Eliott all the while.

 

When it was time for lunch and Eliott was tired of skating, the two of them left the park to go eat something at a small, cheap restaurant nearby. They held hands the whole way there, Eliott carrying his guitar and Lucas carrying his skate.

 

The restaurant was a little busy and they had ended up taking longer in there than they needed to. Not only because of the other people there, but also because they had spent the whole time laughing and talking and teasing each other, not even noticing time passing. By the end of the meal, their food had already been slightly cold.

 

Now, they were back at the park. Eliott was sitting at the edge of the skateparks' bowl with his guitar while Lucas was skating.

 

He knew that he was probably annoying some of the other skaters since he was taking up some space and they had to maneuver around him in order not to bump against him. And, technically, he could sit at one of the benches and get out of their hair, but he didn't want to take his eyes away from Lucas.

 

Because, despite the other skaters, Eliott only had eyes for Lucas. 

 

Eliott was more distracted than he should be, failing chords that were easy and mixing up strumming patterns without even noticing. Lucas was skating beautifully in front of him, spinning and controlling the skate as if it were a part of himself and Eliott was so mesmerized that he couldn't really focus on the instrument in his hands. 

 

It took him back to the moment that had sparked his interest in Lucas, when he had seen him skate for the first time and Eliott couldn't help but smile at how their relationship had developed.

 

Lucas was skating closer to him now, close enough for Eliott to be able to hear him when he spoke.

 

"Aren't you supposed to be playing?"

 

"Not my fault you're so distracting," Eliott shrugged.

 

"Just look at your guitar instead of looking at me," Lucas winked before turning his back and skating away again.

 

"Easier said than done," Eliott mumbled to himself, but averted his eyes from Lucas and restarted the song he had been pretending to play before, determined to get it right this time.

 

He managed to play through that song and three others without any major mistakes or distractions. Lucas had been farther away from him than before and the position of the sun meant that if he looked up it would be shining in his eyes. So, he had had no other choice than to look down at his guitar and actually focus on the task at hand.

 

When he finally looked up, Lucas was sitting on his skateboard at the bottom of the bowl directly in front of him. He was looking up at Eliott with a soft expression on his face and completely ignoring all the other skaters going about around them.

 

"That was perfect," he called out.

 

"It actually wasn't," Eliott answered. "But I'll take the compliment. Thank you."

 

Lucas just shrugged as if Eliott saying it hadn't been perfect didn't matter to him at all and wouldn't change his mind. Then, he got up, grabbed his skate and ran up to Eliott.

 

"Will you teach me?" He asked, plopping down next to him.

 

Eliott looked at him only to see him looking back with a curious, hopeful expression on his face. And he understood why Lucas had wanted so badly to see and help Eliott skate.

 

It was like bringing Lucas into his life more than before, intertwining him with something that was part of Eliott and one of the reasons why they started talking. Teaching Lucas some things on the guitar not only felt right, but also inevitable.

 

"Of course," he said softly.

 

Eliott had never taught someone how to play guitar, had never even tried to do it, so he had no idea what would be the best approach to help Lucas catch up on some things. He gave Lucas his guitar for him to hold and got up in order to sit behind Lucas and help him with positioning his hands. 

 

Lucas sighed when he felt Eliott's legs bracketing his body and leaned back against his chest, hold tight on the guitar. Eliott rested his chin on Lucas' shoulder and leaned forward slightly to be even closer and reach the guitar with his hands, adjusting it on Lucas' lap so it was in the right position. 

 

"Let's start easy alright?" He whispered, not feeling the need to speak any louder. "Just some easy chords."

 

He felt Lucas shudder against him and then saw him nod. Lucas' hair tickled his cheek lightly when he grabbed Lucas left hand and moved it to the neck of the guitar.

 

"First, C major," he said. "It's not hard."

 

He positioned Lucas' finger in the right places, first finger on the B string, second finger on the D string and third finger on the A string. Lucas seemed to struggle a little to hold the position, biting his lip and glaring at his fingers and Eliott smiled to himself before encouraging him to strum the strings. 

 

Lucas' fingers weren't pressing hard enough on the strings and the sound that came off from his strumming wasn't the best. It was airy and didn't resemble an A chord at all, but it was the first time Lucas played and that was more than alright for a first time. 

 

"Just press the strings a little harder," Eliott told him after noticing his disappointed face. "It was great."

 

"It sounded awful," Lucas whined, pressing harder on the strings.

 

"It's the first time you're playing, what did you expect? To be an expert?"

 

"Yes."

 

Eliott chuckled and turned his head to press a kiss to Lucas' temple before telling him to strum the guitar again. It sounded better this time, still not perfect and still strained but it sounded great considering Lucas had never held a guitar before.

 

"There you go," Eliott smiled, proud and happy and never wanting to let Lucas go.

 

***

 

They stood like that for a while longer, Eliott taught him how to play other chords like D, Em, G and Am, easy ones that Lucas could learn and play more easily. The proud look that appeared on his face every time he remembered the position for his fingers and every time the sound came out clear was more than enough to warm Eliott up inside and out.

 

After the lesson, Eliott had put his guitar away inside its case before sitting down again, this time next to Lucas instead of behind him. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head against them, turning to the right to look at Lucas.

 

"You're much better at playing the guitar than I am at skating," he said.

 

"It's not that hard to surpass your skating skills, Eliott."

 

"Don't be rude," Eliott shoved him playfully. "I'm serious though, with some practice you'll be playing songs in no time."

 

"Guess you'll just have to keep teaching me then," Lucas told him, eyes not wavering from his.

 

Eliott wasn't able to look away either. Lucas' gaze was intense and it was pulling him in and in and in. 

 

And, suddenly, it wasn't just his gaze, it was everything about him. It was the way his body was now angled towards Eliott, the way his hand was gripping his sleeve tightly and the way he was biting his lip. Everything was pulling Eliott in, so much so that he found himself leaning in too.

 

And he wasn't the only one. 

 

Lucas was also leaning in, angling his body forward, towards Eliott, and meeting him in the middle. 

 

And then they were kissing. Finally kissing.

 

It was gentle, lips brushing and tasting and discovering, careful and holding back. The first contact, the first touch, the first taste. There was no need to rush it. They had all the time they wanted to have.

 

Eliott's hand came up, fingertips brushing the skin on Lucas’ neck gently, touching his hair and caressing his cheek. And Lucas followed his example. He shifted even closer, their knees touching and Lucas’ hand fell on Eliott's thigh, warm and firm and real.

 

Kissing Lucas was like diving into a calm blue ocean and swimming for hours, skin getting warmed up by the sun and the cold of the water contrasting with it.

 

It was like discovering the depths of that ocean, wanting to get lost in it and never leave. And Eliott never wanted to stop kissing Lucas. He liked the ocean, he wanted to dive deep and discover more, like he had done and kept doing with the ocean in Lucas’ eyes.

 

They only let go for a few seconds, only enough to get air into their lungs, lock eyes and remember the place where they were.

 

And then Lucas was shaking his head with a small smile on his lips and tugging Eliott closer with a look on his face that was almost begging Eliott to kiss him again. And Eliott couldn't resist him, so he leaned in again and kissed Lucas’ smile. And then again. And again.

 

***

 

They had eventually moved from where they had been sitting, realizing that they might be more comfortable away from all the skaters passing by and looking annoyed that they were taking up some of their space. 

 

Now, it was mid afternoon and they were at a more secluded part of the park. They were sitting on the grass, Eliott's back resting against the trunk of a tree, legs spread open on the grass with Lucas in between them, his back against Eliott's chest as they had been while Lucas had been playing guitar. 

 

The skateboard and the guitar were laying next to them, as close to each other as their owners were, and the sun was still warm above them.

 

Eliott had never felt more comfortable and at peace.

 

“Some weeks ago, I would never have thought that I would be here right now. Like this,” Lucas said, interrupting the tranquil silence that had settled over them.

 

“Like this how?” Eliott wondered, turning his head slightly to kiss the side of Lucas’ head. 

 

Lucas sighed happily, his breath hitting the skin of Eliott's arm like the soft breeze on a summer's day. 

 

“Falling in love,” he said simply, as if it were the easiest, most inevitable thing in the world.

 

And Lucas was right when he said that it's always good to hear the words, to have the reassurance, the confirmation. Even if he already knew that it was happening. Because Eliott did know; he knew that they were falling in love with each other, he knew everything was mutual, he knew that they were both in this together.

 

“Being with someone and falling for someone seemed a bit foreign to me,” Lucas continued after a beat of silence in which Eliott had tightened his arms around Lucas and kissed his head again. “It just didn't seem like the possibility of it happening this soon was very high,” he shrugged, the motion making Eliott's arms move slightly. “But here we are,” he finished, bending down his head a little to kiss the back of Eliott's hand.

 

“Here we are,” Eliott agreed, words whispered like a secret too precious to let out to the world. “And I couldn't be happier.”

 

Eliott tried to bring Lucas even closer and groaned when he couldn't do it, the two of them already as close to each other as possible. Lucas laughed and kissed Eliott's arm before settling back against his chest.

 

They stayed silent for a little while, just enjoying the calmness of their little hideout space in the park and the closeness of each other, before Lucas looked up at Eliott.

 

“Sing to me?” 

 

His eyes were bluer than the sky and Eliott would rather get lost in them than in some deep ocean. His eyes were trusting and stunning and they were looking at Eliott with the same adoration Eliott was looking at them with and he ended up just losing track of the time and the question.

 

“What?” 

 

Lucas chuckled.

 

“Sing to me.”

 

“I-” Eliott blinked and shook his head. “I don't really sing, Lucas.”

 

“Please? It's just me here.”

 

And it hit Eliott that saying no to Lucas, especially when he was looking all hopeful and precious, was a very hard task, one that Eliott didn't have enough willpower to succeed. 

 

So, he sighed and adjusted himself against the tree and Lucas, before opening his mouth and singing the first song that came to his mind whenever he looked at Lucas.

 

“ _ Wise man say _ ,” his voice was a little shaky, the position wasn't the best to sing in and Eliott wasn't the best singer out there. “ _ Only fools rush in _ .”

 

But Lucas didn't seem to mind that Eliott didn't sing like an angel and that his voice shook at some points. He seemed enthralled by every word and every sound that came out of Eliott's mouth, he seemed like he was watching is favourite artist perform or even all the way isn’t heaven. Eliott felt flattered, he felt loved and almost…  _ invincible _ . 

 

After that song and with his confidence renewed by the completely captivated look on Lucas’ face, Eliott sang a couple more at his request. 

 

Everything around them was peaceful, just Eliott's voice, Lucas’ breathing and the birds chirping every once in a while. 

 

When Eliott finished his fourth song, he shifted a little to get more comfortable while thinking of the one he would sing next. However, as he shifted, he heard Lucas, who had been silent for a little while now, mumble something almost inaudible. 

 

Eliott looked down at him and he felt a smile creep up on his face when he noticed that Lucas had fallen asleep in his arms.

 

Eliott moved carefully after noticing that. He tried to find the most comfortable position for Lucas to sleep in and kissed his temple gently.

 

He now knew that Lucas had trouble sleeping and that he most definitely needed this, so Eliott would let him sleep. 

 

This, having Lucas this close and so comfortable with him to the point of falling asleep on him, was exactly what Eliott wanted and what made his heart flutter. 

 

And Eliott wouldn't move from this position for as long as Lucas slept. No matter how rough the trunk of the tree was against his back and no matter how long it took for Lucas to wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy, long time no see. Sorry it took so long, but school has been incredibly busy and then I went and spilled coffee on my computer so now I don't have a computer which was where I wrote. I had to finish writing on my phone and that took longer than I would have liked it to. That also means that I didn't have my trusty grammarly and sadly my autocorrect hates me, so I'm very sorry for any mistakes you might find.
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! And yes there will be one more ❤


	11. Chapter 11

The sound of Eliott's mother humming in the kitchen while cooking travelled through the house and could be easily heard from Eliott's room.  

 

It was around midday and she was already making lunch. A lunch that Lucas would be joining and the reason behind Eliott's nerves. 

 

It wasn't that Eliott was afraid that his parents were not going to like Lucas. After all, his mother had already met him and she had liked him so much, she had been the one inviting him. And Eliott was sure it would be the same with his dad. He was pretty convinced that it was quite impossible for anyone to not like Lucas.

 

So, no, that was not Eliott's problem. His problem was simply that he was introducing his boyfriend to his parents and, even with the reassurance that they would certainly approve and stand behind their relationship, Eliott couldn't help but feel some anxiety inside of himself. 

 

He wanted, more than anything, for Lucas to feel comfortable and for his parents not to grill him with questions. He had told them beforehand not to do that and that there were subjects, such as family,  that Lucas wasn't comfortable talking about and that shouldn’t be approached. His parents had understood and had promised him not to touch those subjects or make Lucas uncomfortable in any way. Eliott could now only hope that they hadn't forgotten.

 

He was currently sitting at his desk, a pencil in hand and a piece of paper in front of him. The urge to draw the scene he was currently doing had been on the back of his mind since the moment it had happened, but he hadn't had time to do it until now.

 

Eliott had made it a habit to always draw the most important moments of his life and, recently, there hadn't been any moments that could rival this one when it came to the importance they held for him. Transferring this moment to paper had, therefore, been unquestionable and automatic.

 

It wasn't just a drawing per se, there were actually three drawings on the page, telling a story. Two of the drawings were already complete and Eliott was now finishing up the third and last one.

 

The first drawing showed a raccoon and a hedgehog sitting side by side, both very close to each other without touching, both staring ahead. The background was detailed, or as detailed as Eliott usually drew, trees, a skater and some birds in the sky.

 

Then, it moved to the second drawing, both animals were still sitting together, though now they were staring at each other rather than staring ahead. They were staring right into each other's eyes, their paws touching between their bodies. The background was less detailed, there was no skater and no birds and the trees were just shapeless forms. The attention of the raccoon was so focused on the hedgehog that the background didn’t really matter anymore.

 

The last drawing, the only one that wasn't already complete, was the image of a new beginning masked as the end of the story told on the page. It was the climax of the tension that had been building up. The two animals were closer than ever, their eyes were closed and they were leaning into each other, touching each other.

 

Kissing Lucas had been a dream turned reality, it had been heaven on Earth and it had made Eliott the happiest he had felt in weeks. Maybe even happier than when his father had given him his guitar as a birthday present after he had started learning. And he had been over the moon that day.

 

Eliott had just finished adding the final touches to the drawing when the doorbell rang. 

 

He hastily put his pencil down and jumped from the chair, running down the stairs while yelling that he would open the door.

 

If Eliott was nervous, then he was sure Lucas was nervous too and he wanted to be the person Lucas saw first, wanted to help calm his nerves a little before going forward to where his parents were.

 

When he opened the door, Lucas was there, shuffling a little on his feet and nervously biting his lip while holding a flower bouquet a little too tightly in his hand.

 

"Hey," Eliott greeted, a smile appearing on his face at the sight in front of him.

 

"Eliott, hi," he said warmly before he looked down at his hands and the flowers and a more worried expression took over again. "I felt bad coming for lunch and not bringing anything," he rushed out to say. "But I didn't know what to bring. So, I just went by the flowers shop near the apartment and hoped your mom likes flowers."

 

Eliott chuckled, completely endeared by Lucas' efforts to make sure everything was perfect and his parents liked him.

 

"She does like flowers," he smiled while taking a step closer to Lucas. "You didn't have to bring anything, though."

 

"I know. But I wanted to," he shrugged. "Plus, the girl at the store said that carnations represent mother love or something and she's not my mother, but she is a mother. And then peonies apparently mean good fortune and happiness and they're quite good as a house plant. I don't know, I wasn't paying that much attention, to be honest. And then I couldn't choose so I just asked for both?" He said, tone bordering on questioning. 

 

Eliott reached out with one hand to caress his cheek and watched as Lucas closed his eyes and leaned into it.

 

"They'll love you, Lu, don't worry," he whispered before pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "Come on."

 

He pulled Lucas into the house, taking the hand that wasn't busy with the flowers and holding it in his. Then, he closed the front door behind them and led Lucas into the kitchen where his parents were waiting. 

 

"Mom, dad," he called, unsure of how to go about formally introducing them and Lucas to each other. "This is Lucas," Eliott pulled the hand he was holding in order to make Lucas take another step forward, closer. "My boyfriend."

 

He looked around the room to try to understand what everyone was feeling and thinking. Lucas had a small smile on his lips and a pretty blush on his cheeks that Eliott just wanted to kiss. His mother was grinning at them, clearly happy with what she was hearing and seeing. And his dad, although he was trying to look serious and maybe a little intimidating, had a proud expression shining through. 

 

Even if Eliott had had some doubts before, they were now completely vanished. 

 

Eliott's mom was the first to react. She walked up to them and carefully, as to not overstep, hugged Lucas, smiling at Eliott over his shoulder.

 

"The last time I saw you, you weren't the boyfriend yet," she teased and Eliott mouthed a small 'thank you' at her when he saw Lucas relax in her arms and heard him chuckle. "It's good to see you again, Lucas."

 

"You too," Lucas' voice was soft and polite while he took a step back and brought the flowers into view. "I brought these for you."

 

"Oh, Lucas," she looked at him, surprised and touched by the small gesture, and Eliott felt himself warm up inside at the sight of the two of them. "You didn't have to."

 

He shook his head and smiled at her.

 

"I wanted to," he repeated what he had told Eliott earlier.

 

"Thank you, Lucas," she said sincerely, reaching for the bouquet with one hand and squeezing Lucas' shoulder with the other.

 

She stepped away from them and turned to put the flowers in an empty vase that was on the windowsill. With her out of their line of vision, Eliott's dad approached them, still looking serious and making Lucas step back, closer to Eliott who put a hand on the small of his back. Eliott looked between his father and his boyfriend, torn between feeling amused or annoyed that his father was trying to scare Lucas.

 

"Hello, Lucas," Eliott's father greeted, voice hardened. 

 

Lucas seemed to shrink a little into Eliott's body and Eliott moved his arm to curl around his waist instead of having his hand on his back.

 

"Mr. Demaury," Lucas gulped, his voice a little higher pitched than normal and eyes wide. "It's nice to meet you."

 

And Eliott really couldn't let his father make Lucas feel like this for much longer, not if he wanted Lucas to feel as comfortable as possible.

 

"Dad, please," Eliott interrupted before his father could say anything else to scare Lucas.

 

His father looked at him and, when he saw Eliott's glare, dropped the act and chuckled. Lucas was still pressed against Eliott and he still looked a bit restless, but now there was some confusion clouding his gaze and Eliott rubbed his side in reassurance. 

 

"Don't worry, Eliott, I'm only joking," he winked at his son before turning a more apologetic look at Lucas. "It is very nice to meet you finally, Lucas. I'm sorry if I scared you."

 

"Oh, I- Don't worry, it's fine," Lucas sounded a bit unsure but he had relaxed noticeably and Eliott counted that as a win.

 

"Let's sit and eat then?" Eliott's mom interrupted them and gestured to the table where the food was already set.

 

***

  
  


Lunch hadn't been too bad all things considered.

 

His parents had asked Lucas questions about himself, about school and friends and about how the two of them had met. They hadn’t touched the family subject and for that Eliott was grateful.

 

His mother had kept on making sure that Lucas was alright and that he didn’t need anything, she obviously wanted Lucas to feel like he belonged with them. Eliott was sure that she had liked Lucas so much that she would want to see him more often and would be completely okay with having him over. And Eliott did plan to invite Lucas over more often. 

 

His father, on the other hand, had spent lunch joking and teasing, always true to his personality. It had been his way of trying to make Lucas feel like a part of them and not like an outsider. He had teased Lucas a little bit, but his focus had mostly been on dragging Eliott to the front line and making him the main target of his jokes and teasing tones. His father might like to joke around but he knows when not to cross lines and boundaries and, by putting the focus on Eliott, he made sure that Lucas wasn’t uncomfortable with what he said. Eliott couldn’t say he minded his father’s attitude at all; not when Lucas kept laughing and snickering and looking teasingly at Eliott, making fun of him always with a soft, fond look on his face.

 

Because Lucas did look like he had had fun. He was in a good mood, a smile on his face and eyes bright. He had complimented his mother’s cooking and then had filled his plate a second time, falling even more into her good graces. He had helped Eliott’s father in making fun of him and then had made himself even more likeable by bonding with him over basketball of all things. 

 

Eliott couldn’t help the fast pace his heart adopted when he saw how well his parents and his boyfriend were getting along. It truly felt like heaven to see. His parents were the most important people in his life, they had always been there or him and had helped him through everything. He was incredibly grateful for everything they had done and kept doing for him and Lucas was rapidly becoming an essential part of his life too. 

 

After lunch, they had stayed at the table for a little while longer just talking and enjoying something that felt so familiar that it blew Eliott away. It didn’t seem like it was the first time Lucas was meeting his parents.

 

Then, he and Lucas had left the table and moved on to his room. Eliott’s parents had been fine with it, they knew that Lucas hadn't only come to the house to meet and have lunch with them, but also to spend time with Eliott.

 

Eliott was now sitting on his bed, looking at Lucas while Lucas looked around his room, much like he had done the first time he had been over. And, just like in that day, Lucas seemed the most interested in Eliott’s drawings, especially in the newest additions to the wall. 

 

“I didn’t see any hedgehogs the last time I came over,” Lucas said, gaze shifting from the drawings to Eliott and back to the drawings. 

 

“They’re a new addition.”

 

Lucas smiled.

 

“So, who is the hedgehog that’s skateboarding.”

 

“Hmm,” Eliott hummed, pretending to think. “Any guesses?”

 

“One or two.”

 

His eyes moved to Eliott’s desk then, to the drawing he had just finished before Lucas had arrived, and Eliott heard the sharp intake of breath he took. It seemed that even if the drawings on the wall had been pretty self-explanatory and that there was no way of denying the hedgehog was Lucas, his boyfriend hadn’t been expecting Eliott to draw the image of their kiss. As if he hadn’t thought that what had happened yesterday had been important enough for Eliott for him to draw.

 

“Lucas?” Eliott called after a few moments of silence.

 

Lucas turned around to face him, the drawing in his hand, and Eliott beckoned him over, silently asking for him to come closer, sit on the bed beside him. 

 

Lucas did just that. His steps were small and careful, his eyes didn’t stray from the drawing and he almost tripped over a shirt Eliott had left on the floor, but he sat next to him on the bed and finally raised his eyes from the paper in his hand to look into Eliott’s eyes.

 

“You’ve been drawing me,” he said softly. “And our kiss. Eliott…”

 

“Didn’t I tell you that I always draw the people who are important to me?” Eliott raised a hand to caress his cheek. “And the important moments in my life?”

 

“Well, yeah, but…” Lucas stuttered a little. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting to be one of those people so soon.”

 

“You are, though,” Eliott assured, eyes never leaving Lucas’ and fingers still caressing his skin. “You are very important to me, Lucas.”

 

Lucas sighed happily before leaning in and pressing his lips to Eliott’s. A wordless thank you, a wordless appreciation, a wordless way of showing how much the little drawings and what Eliott had said meant to him. And Eliott kissed him back in kind, making sure Lucas knew that the words he had said were true deep within himself.

 

***

 

They had been in Eliott’s room for almost an hour now. The drawing Lucas had brought with him and put on top of the bed earlier was now on the side table and the two of them were laying down.

 

Eliott was on his back while Lucas was on his side, one arm and one leg thrown over Eliott’s body and his face resting on his shoulder. Eliott’s hand was moving up and down his back, sometimes stopping to touch his hair. After some initial conversation, there hadn’t been much said. They were simply enjoying each other’s company with no worries. 

 

The peace in the room was only interrupted when both their phones rang with a new text almost at the same moment. They groaned, none wanting to move from the comfortable, warm embrace they were in and almost ignoring their phones. But then Eliott's phone rang again and he threw an arm in the direction of the bedside table where his phone was in order to see what was so important without letting go of Lucas.

 

**From Idriss:**

_ Do you want to play basketball with us again? This time we have to kick Imane's team's ass _

_ Or better yet, tell the friend you told us about to come play for us cause you're hopeless and I want to win _

 

"It's Idriss," Eliott told Lucas. "There's a basketball game apparently."

 

"Then mine must be Imane. Can you give me my phone, please?"

 

Eliott nodded and grabbed Lucas' phone from the table where his had been before. Lucas kissed his arm in thanks and unlocked it, showing Eliott that it was, indeed, a text from Imane about the game.

 

"Do you want to go?" He asked.

 

"I don't really wanna get up," Eliott yawned. "But I wouldn't mind spending time with them."

 

Lucas nodded and groaned before sitting up on the bed.

 

"Let's me just text Alex to see if he can play in my place," Eliott said, rubbing Lucas' back one last time. 

 

"You do that," Lucas grinned at him. "I would be grateful if I actually got to play this time."

 

"Shut up," Eliott laughed, shoving him playfully. 

 

**To Alex:**

_ Hey, today is the basketball game, do you still want to play? _

 

**From Alex:**

_ I'm not really doing anything, so if your friends don't mind I'm up for it _

 

**To Alex:**

_ I'm telling you they'll be grateful to have someone who actually knows how to play in the team _

_ Meet us at the park in half an hour? _

 

**From Alex:**

_ I'll be there _

 

"I guess you're in luck. Alex does want to play in my place."

 

"Good."

 

Eliott rolled his eyes and grabbed a pillow to hit Lucas with, enjoying the teasing and the playful attitude they were both having.

 

They got up from the bed and put on their sneakers slowly. Eliott felt tired and sleepy from laying down for so long with Lucas’ warm weight pressed against him and a part of him still wanted to go to bed again and not leave the house. But he wanted to spend some time with his friends and Lucas obviously wanted to do the same and play basketball, so, really he could make the small sacrifice. And it gave him an excuse to invite Lucas over soon to just lay down with him. 

 

“Are you taking your guitar?” Lucas asked him when they had finished putting their shoes on. 

 

“Yap,” he answered while making a move to grab it. “What else can I do while you’re all busy kicking a ball around.”

 

“Eliott, baby,” Lucas shook his head, a teasing glint in his eyes. “It’s basketball,” he told him while they left Eliott’s room and headed downstairs. “You don’t kick the ball when you’re playing basketball.”

 

“I know that,” he rolled his eyes and ruffled Lucas’ hair. “And I don’t care.”

 

“You’re hopeless.”

 

Eliott just shrugged and threw an arm around Lucas’ shoulders, guiding him to the living room where his parents were watching a movie.

 

“We’re going to the park for a basketball game,” he told them.

 

His father raised an eyebrow.

 

“You’re going to play basketball?”

 

“I’m not. I know I’m awful at basketball alright, you guys don’t have to keep reminding me,” he grumbled, not that he was actually annoyed. “Lucas is playing basketball, though. And the only thing I’m playing is guitar, don’t worry.”

 

“Have fun, boys,” his mother interrupted before his father could tease him even more. “It was really nice to meet you and have you over, Lucas.”

 

“Thank you for inviting me.”

 

With a last goodbye and a small wave of his hand from Lucas, the two of them turned around and left the house, ready to go to the park and be with their friends for the first time since they had started dating.

 

***

Eliott’s arm was around Lucas’ shoulders while they walked. They were almost at the park now and he had already texted Idriss to confirm that he would meet them at the park and that he had talked to Alex. There was no going back to the warmth of his bed now.

 

Also, Lucas had just been on the phone with Imane, assuring her that ‘yes, he was almost at the park and Eliott was with him’. 

 

According to him, she had seemed suspicious about them being together, but hadn’t really asked any questions because she was Imane and she knew that if there was something they wanted to say they would come forward and say it. 

 

As far as heir friends knew, they were only friends. Most of them probably didn't even know that they had hung out after the last basketball game, much less that they had already gone on a date and were now actually dating. They would surely find out today though, Eliott and Lucas wouldn't be hiding the depth of their friendship from their friends, that was for sure. 

 

They soon got to the park, the sun was shining brightly above them and Lucas was rambling about the tv show he had watched the day before. Eliott felt like he was in his own personal paradise. Lucas’ voice enveloping him and his body against his was exactly what he needed and wanted at the moment. 

 

Their friends were all waiting for them when they arrive. Alex was already there too, and he seemed have been accepted into the team Eliott had left quite easily, considering he was at the field with Idriss and Léo passing the ball among each other and throwing it at the basket. 

 

“Today, it’ll be more fun to play since there’s not a certain someone to cover me all the time,” Lucas said teasingly.

 

“As if you don’t like having me close,” Eliott wiggled his eyebrows. 

 

“I do like having you close,” Lucas smirked up at him. “But only when I can enjoy it properly.”

 

Eliott was about to answer him with a few suggestions about how they could enjoy being close, but Emma called out Lucas’ name before he could do so. He winked at Lucas to convey what he had wanted to say and led him to where their friends were sitting under a tree. 

 

“Hey,” he waved with the hand that wasn’t around Lucas.

 

“I’m glad you found us another player,” Adrien chuckled. “Idriss would not shut up after we lost.”

 

“I’m glad all of you agreed that it was my fault then,” he pretended to be offended.

 

“They aren’t wrong,” Lucas whispered and Eliott rolled his eyes fondly before pushing him playfully.

 

“Is there something you want to share?” Sofiane asked him, a smile on his face while he looked between Eliott and Lucas.

 

Eliott’s gaze shifted to where Imane’ knee was touching Sofiane’s and to where his arm was resting behind her back and raised an eyebrow. Two could play this game.

 

“Not particularly, no," he shrugged while bringing Lucas closer to himself again. “Do you have anything to share?”

 

“You two are ridiculous,” Imane laughed before getting up and telling all them to hurry.

 

“You heard the lady,” Yann was the first to get up and follow her. 

 

Sofiane stopped in front of Eliott and Lucas when the others had already followed Imane and Yann's example. His eyes were kind and happy and he was smiling knowingly at them. 

 

“I’m happy for you.”

 

“I didn’t confirm anything,” Eliott laughed.

 

“You didn’t need to. Just like I didn’t need to.”

 

Eliott let go of Lucas so he could take a step forward and wrap his arms around his friend. Sofiane really was the best friend he could ask for. Always there for him, always understanding him without words and always supportive. He really was one of the stones that helped hold Eliott up every day and he couldn’t be more grateful for him. 

 

“Thank you,” he whispered in his ear. “I’m very happy for you, too. For you and for Imane, of course.”

 

“Let’s not get too mushy before a basketball game, though,” Sofiane chuckled while pulling back from the hug. “Idriss would kill me if I was distracted for whatever reason.”

 

“Good luck with that,” Eliott clapped him on the back, laughing while his friend ran off to the field.

 

“Your friendship is amazing,” Lucas’s voice brought him back to where he was and to the boy he was with. 

 

“Yeah, we’ve been friends for so long that I don’t think I could imagine life without him as a friend you know?”

 

Lucas hummed.

 

“I get it,” he smiled. “I think I feel the same about Yann.”

 

Yann who was currently waving wildly to get their attention so that Lucas would get to where they were ready to play and just waiting for him. 

 

“Go play,” Eliott urged him. "They're waiting for you."

 

"They can wait a little longer," Lucas shrugged before getting on his tiptoes and reaching out to wrap his arms around Eliott's neck.

 

"Can they?" Eliott smiled.

 

Lucas simply hummed in confirmation and leaned in to close the distance between their lips, kissing him sweetly and calmly. Eliott breathed in before kissing him back, lips and tongue moving in harmony to a rhythm only they knew.

 

"Lucas!" Someone's voice interrupted their moment, making them laugh against each other's lips and separate slowly.

 

"I'll be here waiting for you," Eliott pecked his lips. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm rooting for you."

 

Lucas wiggled his eyebrows and kissed Eliott's cheek before turning around and running to the field, getting a pat in the back from Yann and a few knowing looks and teasing smiles that made him flush a bright red that Eliott could see from where he was.

 

With the smile permanently on his lips, Eliott sat on the bench behind him and took his guitar out of its case, ready to play something while he watched his friends and his boyfriend play basketball. 

 

The sun was still bright and warm, his earphones were in his ears blasting the song he was playing, his fingers gliding effortlessly across the strings and the feeling of Lucas' lips still on his. He watched them play, shoving each other playfully, glaring and laughing, yelling and swearing. And he felt warm inside, a warmth that had nothing to do with the sun shining above. 

 

Eliott wasn't alone. He had his friends and he had his boyfriend. He had his parents waiting for him at home, surely wanting to talk about Lucas and get more information out of him. Because they had met his boyfriend and they had liked him. And Eliott was happier than he had been in a long time, his life taking a turn into calm waters that were peaceful and pleasant around him.

 

And he had his music. The presence that was a constant in his life. He had his guitar in his hands and he was exactly where he wanted to be.

 

Exactly how he wanted to be.

 

With his eyes on Lucas and on the way he was smiling while playing, Eliott let himself get immersed into the song he was playing. 

 

And he didn't stop smiling.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> And with this, the story comes to an end. 
> 
> First, I want to quickly apologize for taking so long to update this last chapter. School has been keeping me busy and I have been studying for my exams. Other than that though, and being completely honest with you, I was tired of writing this story and I couldn't wait for the moment I finally finished it, though that made me write even slower. 
> 
> Now that I finished it, I can't say that I don't miss it. Because I do. I wrote this for two months and it was a wild ride. I'm very proud of myself for having been able to start and finish it. Very proud.
> 
> And very grateful.
> 
> Because everyone in here had been so lovely since the very beginning. 
> 
> So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who had read this fic, who has left a kuddo or a comment, or simply read. I hope it made you smile and that it made your day better, because that's what your support did to me. 
> 
> Skipping the mushiness for a second, I'm so very happy that we're getting a season 5, I can't wait to know more about Arthur and see more of the gang because I absolutely adore all of them and their dynamic.
> 
> And I do have an idea in the back of my head for a new Elu fic that I've been toying with. Maybe I'll use Camp NaNo this July to write some of it, who knows.
> 
> Anyway, thank you, everyone.
> 
> All the love to you.

**Author's Note:**

> find me @ classy5sos on tumblr


End file.
